Trent Alexander-Arnold transfer: Liverpool defender keen to join Real Madrid as talks progress - but deal yet to be agreed
Trent Alexander-Arnold is keen to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his Liverpool contract expires on June 30; the England international came through the Liverpool academy and has played over 300 times for the Reds
Tuesday 25 March 2025 17:41, UK
Real Madrid are progressing in talks over signing Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold when his Liverpool deal expires at the end of June - and his preference is to join the LaLiga club.
With Alexander-Arnold's current deal at Anfield due to expire this summer, the defender has not pursued the possibility of an improved contract with Liverpool. It is not yet certain he will leave Liverpool, if the ongoing negotiations in Spain fail to reach agreement.
If Real can land the Reds vice-captain it would end a 21-year association with his boyhood club for whom he is set to make his 350th appearance against Everton on April 2, live on Sky Sports.
Sky Sports News has been told that much is still to be sorted and there is no guarantee he will be a Real Madrid player next season.
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The Spanish giants have been long-term admirers of Alexander-Arnold and have been working on a package to tempt him for almost two years.
If Alexander-Arnold moves to the Spanish capital, he will become the second England international at Real Madrid, alongside Jude Bellingham.
Under current transfer rules, Real - and any other overseas club who wishes to approach him - have been free to negotiate openly with Alexander-Arnold since January.
While a potential buyer is obliged to keep Liverpool informed and tell them if an agreement has been reached, Real have not done so yet.
But he is the club's primary summer transfer target and it is clear his preference is to join Carlo Ancelotti's squad.
Negotiations are complex - made even more so by the fact he is a free agent, with the issues of signing-on fees, image rights, performance bonuses and more all to be addressed.
Earlier this season, the right-back broke the Premier League record for most assists by a defender after making his 60th and 61st goals for a team-mate in Liverpool's 3-3 draw at Newcastle, beating team-mate Andy Robertson in the process.
Should Alexander-Arnold depart, he will do so having won all of the top continental and domestic honours at Anfield, lifting the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, plus the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Carra: Manner of Trent move would affect Liverpool legacy
Alexander-Arnold will become the third Liverpool academy graduate to move onto the Spanish capital should a move materialise, following in the footsteps of Steve McManaman and Michael Owen.
Jamie Carragher, who also came through the academy at Melwood before going on to make 737 appearances for the Reds as a one-club man, has warned the defender any deal could affect his legacy at Anfield - despite the part he has played in their recent success.
"It's more than a football decision," he told Sky Sports earlier this season. "It's about his legacy at Liverpool and how he is seen. Do you want to be seen like [Steven] Gerrard or [Steve] McManaman?
"He went to Real Madrid and won cups but he is not adored.
"As a local player, Trent has been there 20 years. I don't think it would be nice to have a feeling of leaving on a free. I guarantee Liverpool supporters will feel that way.
"Things are expected of you as a local player. I think to leave Liverpool is difficult as a local player.
"I wanted to leave in the right way so they remembered me in the right way.
"If he stays, he will be remembered as one of the best to play for the club and not far behind Gerrard."
Why potential move to Real is 'complicated' for Trent...
Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett:
"Most people would probably think if it's a free agent that's making a move then surely the negotiations are more straightforward? Well, not so, it actually can be a little bit more complicated because the player is entitled to a signing-on fee and the level of that signing-on fee is subjective, it depends on the viewpoint of both sides.
"Then you've got all the very complex things which Real Madrid and Alexander-Arnold's representatives are very used to discussing like appearance fees, loyalty bonuses and image rights, so there's an awful lot of detail to go through and that's why this is taking some time.
"There's no real rush on either side because Alexander-Arnold is still under contract with Liverpool until the end of the season.
"I think you have to realise here as well that there's a bit of negotiating point - neither side would want to suggest that they've agreed and they're happy with what's on the table if there's still more negotiation to be done and so that's why it's complex, why it's taking a bit of time.
"Liverpool and Real Madrid fans would like to get an answer. I'm sure Alexander-Arnold's desperate to get his future sorted out but with the lawyers involved and the contractual issues still to be addressed, there's going to have to be a bit of patience on all sides.
"You also have to consider he's been at the club for almost 21 years now, having joined the Liverpool academy at the age of six. He's a Scouser, he's a Liverpool fan and the club is very much in his blood, so how he negotiates his exit from Anfield is very important to Alexander-Arnold.
"He doesn't want to alienate the fans who he's been very close to for his entire Liverpool career. He's one of their own, he's come through the academy to become one of the most important Liverpool players of recent times, so he doesn't want to damage that legacy.
"There's an awful lot of media interest in this story, a lot of rumour out there, a lot of reporting of this story. None of that is going down particularly well with Alexander-Arnold or his representatives who want to try and make this as clean and as amicable of a break as possible.
"It's not inevitable that Alexander-Arnold will leave Anfield and go to the Bernabeu. It's what he would like to happen, it's what Real Madrid would like to happen and negotiations are positive and ongoing, but the deal isn't done yet."
Where would Trent fit in at Real Madrid?
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz:
Real Madrid already play a very attacking formation, with Los Cuatros Fabulosos - The Fantastic Four - of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham dominating the headlines.
Now they are also set to add one of the most attacking right-backs in Europe to their roster. The Fantastic Four could well become The Famous Five.
Alexander-Arnold would join Steve McManaman and Michael Owen in swapping his Liverpool academy hero status for Real Madrid, with mixed success in the previous two incidents.
But the good news for the England right-back is Real Madrid have a ready-made position for him at the club.
Ancelotti currently uses Federico Valverde as his main right-back, with Dani Carvajal out injured. The Uruguayan is naturally a midfielder but is tasked with defensive duties - which is very similar to Alexander-Arnold's profile.
But signing the Liverpool defender not only gives Real a more natural option at right-back, it also fixes a midfield issue Ancelotti has faced for some time.
Real still have not replaced Toni Kroos and will also need cover for Luka Modric once the Croatian retires in the coming years. Dani Ceballos has covered well in midfield Aurelien Tchouameni, but Real will likely need Valverde back as a natural central option to firm up that area.
Signing Alexander-Arnold would allow that to happen. But more worryingly for the rest of Europe, it makes Real Madrid's best XI even more complete.
Some say they are one top centre-back signing away from having the perfect team.
