Liverpool sent transfer return message as Real Madrid move encouraged

The clock keeps on ticking and those Liverpool supporters who are transfer-minded are getting twitchy. After the £60million arrival of Jeremy Jacquet and £34.5m capture of Victor Munoz, there is a sense more could have been done ahead of Tuesday's official start of pre-season preparations. The Reds were thwarted in their attempts to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig and remain interested in signing a right winger, with Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola among those on their shortlist. Then there are questions marks about other areas of the team such as right-back, centre-back and central midfield. With seven weeks left in the transfer market, there is still plenty of time. But are there any former Liverpool players who could be brought back to do a job for Andoni Iraola? Our ECHO writers take a look... Never go back is an adage that has a large body of evidence in its favour, certainly when it comes to football. So the chances of Liverpool making a move for one of their former players seems extremely slim, if not completely zero. After all, it didn't do Ian Rush too much harm. Mohamed Salah hasn't rocked up anywhere else yet since departing Anfield and with the landscape at the club having very much changed of late, the Egyptian would appear the most likely option. But the player Liverpool could really do with is Trent Alexander-Arnold given their issues at right-back with Conor Bradley injured and Jeremie Frimpong not overly convincing during his debut campaign at the club. Would Alexander-Arnold want to admit defeat of sorts so early in his Bernabeu stay? Most definitely not. Would Real Madrid want to sell? That is highly doubtful. Liverpool, though, would be massively bolstered by the return of the England international. But common sense dictates the Reds and any of their ex-players parted ways for a reason and shouldn't consider a reunion. FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page The personnel may have come and gone through a revolving door, but Liverpool's struggles at right-back last season didn't half show just how much Trent Alexander-Arnold is missed. For years the Reds Academy product was a favourite subject for pundits desperate to tear into his defending, wilfully ignoring the occasions when the two-time Premier League winner, an incredible creative force going the other way, was doing a perfectly fine job. That criticism might well have contributed to his willingness to step away from the Premier League bubble last summer, but even though the manner of his exit to Real Madrid irked many, you can't argue that Andoni Iraola would have a stronger hand at his disposal if Alexander-Arnold were in it. A decidedly mixed first season in Spain ended with 35 appearances, no trophies and no place in the England World Cup squad, and Alexander-Arnold will now be calling Jose Mourinho his gaffer when pre-season begins. Enough to jack it all in and pine for a Liverpool return? Michael Owen infamously wanted to do it after one year at the Bernabeu, while Ian Rush did after one at Juventus. Sure, egos would be bruised and high horses would have to be clambered off, but you can't argue that an Alexander-Arnold comeback wouldn't make Liverpool a much better team. FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page