Real Madrid Signs Trent Alexander-Arnold Early for Club World Cup

Madrid, Spain — Real Madrid has reached an agreement with Liverpool to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold early, making the right-back available for their upcoming Club World Cup campaign. The Spanish club will pay €10 million (£8.4 million; $11.4 million) in a single payment for Alexander-Arnold.

The 26-year-old defender will sign a six-year contract with Madrid. The agreement was reached on Monday but was momentarily delayed due to events during Liverpool’s title celebrations, which resulted in injuries to 79 people.

Had Madrid waited for Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool contract to expire on June 30, he would have missed the group-stage fixtures of the Club World Cup in the United States. His early transfer allows him to compete against teams like Al Hilal and Red Bull Salzburg.

FIFA had recently approved a proposal to create an “exceptional registration window” from June 1 to June 10, allowing teams to register new players ahead of the tournament. This means that Madrid is effectively paying for one extra month to ensure Alexander-Arnold’s participation in the group stage.

Madrid initially considered signing him at the beginning of the season and even offered €40 million in January, but Liverpool declined. Alexander-Arnold has had a successful run at Liverpool, scoring 23 goals and providing 92 assists in 354 appearances, securing two league titles and the Champions League.

Despite being booed at Anfield after announcing his departure, he received a warm welcome when he lifted the Premier League trophy at the season’s end.

Madrid’s urgency in securing Alexander-Arnold stems from injuries in their squad, particularly to Dani Carvajal, who has been sidelined with a serious knee injury. Carlo Ancelotti‘s staff noted that winning the Champions League requires a healthy right-back.

Negotiations were facilitated due to the strong relations between the clubs, leading to Madrid paying a higher fee than initially expected. They aim for Alexander-Arnold to integrate quickly with the team ahead of the Club World Cup.

Looking ahead, Liverpool is expected to replace Alexander-Arnold with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong for £30 million. The club is also in talks for a record deal for German international Florian Wirtz and is gauging interest in Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez.