Trent Alexander-Arnold has played down suggestions he is working on persuading Jude Bellingham to join Liverpool despite sharing a close relationship with the midfielder on international duty.
Both players are out in Qatar with the England squad with Bellingham one of the standout performers for the Three Lions at the World Cup so far. The 19-year-old has started each of England's three group games and scored in the opening win over Iran as he continues to shine on the world stage.
Alexander-Arnold's game time has been more limited than his team-mate, having featured just once from the bench in the win over Wales, though he has been getting close to the Borussia Dortmund star away from the pitch. The pair shared some downtime on Wednesday evening - 24 hours after England booked their passage to the last 16.
Alexander-Arnold shared a picture of himself alongside Bellingham to his Instagram account, captioned: "Stroll in the city with Bro." Bellingham commented in response: "My brother."
Liverpool fans were quick to jump on the connection between the pair in excitement there could be more to it, given the persistent speculation linking Bellingham with a switch to Anfield. One fan wrote: "Agent Trent understands his mission."
Quizzed on the reaction to his post on BBC Radio 5 Live, Alexander-Arnold was asked: "Your little stroll has got quite a lot of traction, hasn't it?"
Will Liverpool be successful in landing Bellingham? Have your say in the comments below.
The full-back laughed as a big grin spread across his face, but he insisted he was simply documenting some of the memories he was making out in the Middle East. "I'm just going out with a mate aren't I?" he said. "Everyone saying 'Agent Trent' but no...
"We went out a few of us yesterday, we were given the day off so had a decent day out."
Some eagle-eyed fans had even pointed out the picture, taken in front of Lusail's Crescent Tower, also contained trees that had been lit up by a red glare in the background - suggesting it was a nod towards Bellingham seeing his future in those colours.
Alexander-Arnold responded: "No course not, no. We just decided to get a pic. World Cups are once in a lifetime or a couple of times, not many people can say they've been to them. So it's good to get some pictures on board - that's what we tried to do."
While Alexander-Arnold may not be involved in any transfer talk with Bellingham, Liverpool chiefs will certainly be keeping tabs on the Stourbridge-born Dortmund ace as they continue their search for midfield reinforcements.
Potential suitors will have to break the bank to land Bellingham's services, however, with Dortmund reportedly valuing their prized asset between £100-150million. Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all reported to be showing an interest in Bellingham.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has also been striking up a good relationship with the teenager, though, with England's Conor Coady offering an insight into how the 32-year-old is looking after his younger midfield colleague whilst away with the national team - as well as some playful teasing.
“He looks after Jude like there is no tomorrow," Coady said. "Jude is a young lad, sometimes we forget that because he is so mature and a fantastic footballer. I would say someone like Henderson and [Kyle] Walker set the example.
“He [Bellingham] said something the other day about his mum making his bed, no word of a lie. We are talking about Jude Bellingham here, one of the best players in the world, and Hendo sat up at dinner and went ‘What?’ and Jude went ‘Yeah, my mum makes my bed’. So Hendo is battering him.”
