Trent Alexander-Arnold has yet to confirm his next club after his Liverpool exit but he is expected to move to Real Madrid and the Spanish giants are attempting to sign him early
Liverpool could bank over £1.5m should they bow to Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold request. The defender announced his Anfield exit on Monday morning, bringing to an end a glittering career on Merseyside.
Alexander-Arnold will leave for nothing at the end of his contract and despite having not announced his next career move, he is widely expected to seal a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. Should that happen, he would officially become a Real player once his Liverpool deal expires on June 30.
But the La Liga side are attempting to sign him even earlier. According to Sky Sports, Real have already contacted Liverpool about signing Alexander-Arnold to ensure he can play at this summer’s Club World Cup.
Their opening game comes against Saudi side Al-Hilal on 18 June - before the defender’s contract expires. It is suggested that they are expected to follow up that initial approach.
Meanwhile, COPE report that Real would be willing to pay up to €1m (£850k) to sign Alexander-Arnold a month early. And given Liverpool would be saving around £800k on the defender’s wages, it could potentially see Arne Slot’s side bank around £1.6m should they agree to Real’s terms.
Should that go through, Alexander-Arnold will put pen to paper on a six-year deal in Spain. Before that, he has explained the reasons why he has decided to depart his boyhood club.
Speaking after the announcement was made, he said: “I think the decision for me is personal. To change environment, to challenge myself elsewhere. It’s not about wanting to find something better, it’s about me and my personal journey as a player and I think now is the right time for me to go and experience that. People won’t be happy with the decision but it's something that I feel like I need to do on my journey and my career. “
Away from Alexander-Arnold’s move, Real Madrid have been embroiled in controversy regarding their participation in the Club World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti - who is expected to leave the club at the end of the season - previously announced that his side would not play.
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Ancelotti had told Il Giornale: “Players and clubs will not participate in that tournament. A single Real Madrid match is worth 20 million [euros] and Fifa wants to give us that amount for the entire cup. Like us, other clubs will refuse the invitation.”
But the Italian then backtracked after Real confirmed that they would be travelling to the tournament after all. He said: “In my interview with Il Giornale, my words about the Fifa Club World Cup have not been interpreted in the way I expected. More importantly, I am interested in getting the chance to play in a tournament which I consider could be a great opportunity to pursue great titles with Real Madrid.”