Liverpool Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold Signs Six-Year Deal With Real Madrid Ahead of FIFA Club World Cup

‎Real Madrid has agreed with Liverpool to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold early, allowing the right-back to be available throughout their entire Club World Cup campaign.

‎The Spanish club will pay €10 million (£8.4 million; $11.4 million) as a one-time fee for Alexander-Arnold. The deal is also financially beneficial for Liverpool, as they will no longer need to cover his remaining salary and bonuses.

‎The 26-year-old will sign a six-year contract with his new side.

‎The deal was agreed on Monday but was delayed after a man drove into a crowd during Liverpool’s title celebrations in the city, with 79 people injured following the incident.

‎Alexander-Arnold was initially set to join the Spanish giants as a free agent once his contract at Anfield expired on June 30. This would have caused him to miss Madrid’s three group-stage matches at the Club World Cup in the United States.

‎The 15-time European champions reached out to Liverpool to express their interest in having Alexander-Arnold released earlier, leading to discussions to find a solution.

‎Ultimately, a compromise was reached, and the England international will now transfer immediately.

‎In October, FIFA approved a proposal that would allow national associations the option to create an “exceptional registration window” from June 1 to June 10 so teams could register new players ahead of the Club World Cup.

‎Had Madrid waited until Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool contract expired on June 30 to sign him for free, they could have registered him for the knockout stage of the competition. This would have been possible through FIFA’s mid-tournament registration window, which runs from June 27 to July 3.

‎It means, in effect, Madrid is paying €10m for the extra month so the defender can feature in their group-stage games against Al Hilal (June 18), Pachuca (June 22), and Red Bull Salzburg (June 26).

‎Madrid did not just target Alexander-Arnold as a potential free transfer they were prepared to pay €40m to sign him in January, but Liverpool did not entertain the possibility with the player also prioritizing his side’s Premier League title campaign.

‎Alexander-Arnold scored 23 goals and provided 92 assists across 354 first-team appearances for Liverpool, where he won two league titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup.

‎When the Englishman made his substitute appearance against Arsenal at Anfield on May 11, following his announcement to leave, he was booed by fans at his boyhood club.

‎In April, two posters about Alexander-Arnold’s expiring contract were displayed around Liverpool, which quickly went viral on social media.

‎After Liverpool’s final game of the season, a 1-1 home draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, Alexander-Arnold received cheers as he lifted the Premier League trophy during the club’s title celebrations.

‎This moment marked a positive end to his season with the team.