WATCH: Jude Bellingham smirks when asked about Real Madrid signing good friend & England team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool

Alexander-Arnold's future was a talking point during Bellingham's meeting with the media ahead of Liverpool's showdown with Real Madrid in the Champions League. The England full-back has been linked with a move to Los Blancos when his contract expires next summer, and there's no doubt that Bellingham would love to link up with his close friend and Three Lions team-mate in Madrid.

For his part, Alexander-Arnold has done little to suggest his future belongs in Liverpool. A move to the Santiago Bernabeu would seemingly offer the 26-year-old a stronger platform to achieve his dream of winning the Ballon d'Or, with Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher already convinced Real Madrid is his likely destination.

"I’ll be by his side with the national team anyway hopefully, so that will be a guarantee," Bellingham said. "He is a Liverpool player and I think it's disrespectful, especially to come to his home today, and speak with the huge game tomorrow, to speak something that could be misconstrued. I think it's important to take that pressure off him. He is a really good mate of mine and I want him to do really well... normally, obviously not tomorrow night! We'll see what happens but like I said he's a Liverpool player."

Alexander-Arnold hasn't fully recovered from a hamstring injury in time to start Wednesday's rematch of the 2018 Champions League final. While he could feature briefly, Arne Slot has confirmed he prefers not to use the defender unless necessary, with Sunday's Premier League clash against Manchester City being the more likely target for his return.