Real Madrid aims to acquire Trent Alexander-Arnold’s services promptly, allowing the departing Liverpool right-back to participate in the forthcoming Club World Cup.
The England international revealed his intention to leave the Reds this summer through a social media announcement on Monday, following extensive speculation regarding his future.
BBC Sport reports that Real Madrid has approached Liverpool to negotiate a deal for Alexander-Arnold’s early release, ensuring his availability for the Club World Cup, which commences in the United States on June 14. The report further indicates that the Spanish club is contemplating a fee of approximately €1 million (£850,000) to secure the 26-year-old’s early transfer.
FIFA, football’s world governing body, have confirmed a short initial transfer window will be open from June 1 to June 10, offering teams competing in the Club World Cup an opportunity to bolster their squads in time for the new-look competition’s start date.
This year’s Club World Cup is the first time 32 teams have competed for the trophy that’s historically been viewed as more prestigious by teams competing outside of Europe.However, there will be more eyes on the Club World Cup than ever before this summer, and Real Madrid are hoping marquee signing Trent is part of their star-studded squad.
Despite their surprise Champions League quarter-final elimination to Arsenal, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently joint-favourites to win the Club World Cup in the bookmakers’ eyes, alongside Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
While Real Madrid hope that a €1 million fee will be enough to convince Liverpool to sell Alexander-Arnold early, rather than allowing him to see out the remainder of his contract, it seems there’s a strong chance the Reds will demand a higher fee.
This might puzzle football fans – after all, Liverpool are about to lose the gifted right-back for nothing, so why wouldn’t they accept the fee?
But as The Telegraph’s Jason Burt explains, Liverpool are likely to demand a ‘reasonable fee’ due to the staggering amount of money on offer for the winners of the Club World Cup.
It was revealed in March that the winners of the Club World Cup will receive an eye-watering total of $125 million (around £94 million) – making it the most lucrative tournament in club football over a seven-game format.
Club World Cup 2025 Prize MoneyGroup Stage$2m/$1m per win/drawRound of 16$7.5mQuarter-Final$13.125mSemi-Final$21mFinalist$30mWinner$40mAssuming that Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion would boost Real Madrid’s chances of winning the Club World Cup, Liverpool will be acutely aware that they may be able to convince the reigning European champions to part with more money.
If the two clubs fail to reach an agreement then Trent could still feature for Real Madrid in the latter stages of the Club World Cup, with the final scheduled for July 13.