Trent Alexander-Arnold’s proposed move to Real Madrid this summer is finally ‘on’, but the Liverpool star will have to make a minor compromise when it comes to his shirt number when he moves to The Bernabeu.
The likes of Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein have both revealed that the deal is now very close to completion, as the England defender prepares to make a free transfer switch to the LaLiga heavyweights in one of the most anticipated moves of the summer.
Los Blancos have been chasing Alexander-Arnold for some time as they look for a new right-back option to replace veteran stars Lucas Vazquez and Dani Carvajal (both 33), although the Liverpool star will have to give up his No.66 shirt number as soon as he walks through the door.
The 26-year-old has stuck with the same squad number he was handed when he first broke into the senior squad at Anfield, despite the fact he has worn the numbers 2, 7, 8, and even 10 while on Three Lions duty. And it looks like he will have to put 66 into retirement due to a little-known rule in Spain’s top flight.
LaLiga rules state that he will not be able to wear a number higher than 25, as all numbers for the competition correlate to the number of players that can be registered during the season.
Each team in the Spanish top flight has a maximum of 25 first-team squad slots that players are eligible for, and if handed one, a star must wear a number between 1-25.
Youth players who are not registered to the squad list but meet the criteria to still be eligible to play can wear a number above 25, which is why highly-rated young defender Raul Asencio is allowed to don No.35.
At the current time, there are only three possible numbers Alexander-Arnold could actually wear, with 12 the lowest available – although that’s least likely to be taken. The reason for that is that most LaLiga clubs leave the No.12 free to show respect to their supporters, often referred to as the 12th man.
That then leaves the two highest possible numbers, 24 and 25, although the latter is normally reserved for the third-choice goalkeeper. Current club captain Carvajal wears No.2 but will be out of contract in the summer of 2026, while the No.10 could be one to watch given that Luka Modric’s contract is up this summer – although the 39-year-old has already expressed a desire to stay on for another season.
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Romano gives verdict on huge Alexander-Arnold news
Meanwhile, Romano has been speaking about the big move and revealed that his famous ‘here we go’ catchphrase is edhing ever closer.
Speaking to his YouTube channel, the Italian said: “Real Madrid and Alexander-Arnold, the agreement is very close and here we go is expected soon.
“Madrid always had Trent as option one, two and three in their shortlist for the full back position and now the agreement is really imminent. At the final stages.
“Real Madrid have sent their proposal to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s camp and the agreement is really close.
“They are working in final details and then Real Madrid at the right moment when everything is signed will inform Liverpool on the agreement. And then Trent is fully expected to join Madrid in the summer.
“Here we go to follow very soon.”
Alexander-Arnold at least looks poised to walk away from Anfield with a second Premier League title under his belt, with Arne Slot’s men currently leading by 12 points with only nine games to go.
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