Ruben Amorim could inadvertently play a role in sending Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid next summer.
The new Manchester United head coach has only been in place for 11 days, but the rumour mill has already kicked into gear. Amorim has been continuously linked with moves for his stand-out players at Sporting Lisbon, with Viktor Gyokeres the chief among the players who could follow him to Old Trafford.
But the 39-year-old coach’s influence extends beyond just Sporting, where he spent four very successful years and won two league titles. He has a big fan in north London, having played a huge role in the development of Tottenham right-back Pedro Porro.
Porro spent two and a half seasons working under Amorim’s management at Sporting, winning one league title and two domestic cups. The 25-year-old moved from Sporting to Tottenham in January 2023, initially on loan, before signing permanently in the summer for around £40million.
However, if Spanish outlet AS are to be believed, people close to Porro are ‘convinced’ that Amorim will try and bring the full-back to United in the near future. Amorim will implement a 3-4-3 formation at Old Trafford which could suit Porro perfectly, but his future could well be entwined with Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold’s due to Real Madrid.
Real want to sign a new right-back to become the long-term successor to the injured Dani Carvajal and are interested in both Porro and Alexander-Arnold. But one looks much more likely than the other, due to their contractual situations.
While Alexander-Arnold is out of contract with Liverpool in June, Porro is under contract with Spurs until June 2028. AS report that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy values him at €70m (£58.3m) and will not budge – a fact Real have become familiar with in the dealings over Luka Modric and Gareth Bale in the past.
Tottenham’s reluctance to do business with Real over Porro could help propel Alexander-Arnold to Madrid. The 26-year-old has been coy over his plans, but the temptation to join close friend Jude Bellingham in the Spanish capital is definitely there, while the situation around his team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah is another factor to consider.
Like Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk’s deal are set to expire in the summer and they also haven’t agreed new terms yet. But they are at a later stage in their careers and are considered more likely to stay put.
"Look, I have been at the club 20 years now, I have signed four or five contract extensions and none of those have been played out in public,” Alexander-Arnold said in September. “And this one won't be either. I want to be a Liverpool player this season (as a minimum) is what I will say.
"The most important thing is always trophies, if I am honest. I want to win trophies, I am a player who is highly motivated by trophies and winning things and being elite. So that is probably the main factor of anything, if you have a personality that is elite, who wants to win and will do anything to win, then that is what drives me."