European giants step up pursuit of Liverpool star

England will have to beat Greece on Thursday to have a realistic chance of winning the Nations League Group B2. 

The Three Lions suffered a shock 2-1 defeat by Greece at Wembley in October, putting Ivan Jovanovic’s side in pole position to finish in top spot and achieve automatic qualification to Group A.

Interim England boss Lee Carsley will hope to see his side put on a much better performance on Thursday than their showing at Wembley last month, but the former Irish international will be without a number of important players.

No fewer than eight players have withdrawn from the squad ahead of the games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, including Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The right-back was forced off injured during the Reds’ win over Aston Villa on Saturday, and he has since pulled out of Carsley’s final squad as England manager.

Off the pitch, the 26-year-old continues to be linked with a move away from Anfield.

According to GiveMeSport, Spanish giants Real Madrid have stepped up their pursuit of the England international.

Alexander-Arnold remains a target for Spanish side Real Madrid

The Liverpool defender is in the final year of his current contract with the club, and he has emerged as a target for the European champions as they search for a new right-back.

It is claimed that Real have already scouted the player and completed in-depth assessments of his playing abilities.

Now, though, the La Liga champions are exploring the player’s off-field personality to assess whether or not he would fit into their current squad.

If he did join Real, Alexander-Arnold would play alongside England teammate Jude Bellingham, who joined the club from Borussia Dortmund last year.

Alexander-Arnold remains an integral part of Arne Slot’s side, and has played more than 320 times for the Merseyside club across all competitions so far.

He has registered an impressive tally of 102 goals and assists during that time, making him one of the most effective attacking full-backs in world football.