The ambitious double reason why Trent Alexander-Arnold has decided to leave boyhood club Liverpool and join Real Madrid has been revealed – and it’s perhaps not why you think – while the Spanish giants are also hoping to bring forward his move from Anfield.
The worst-kept secret in football was finally confirmed on Tuesday when several publications and journalists confirmed Alexander-Arnold has agreed a five-year contract to join the Spanish giants from next season. The move to the Bernabeu will end one of the longest-running transfer sagas in recent years, while also seeing the player end a personal 20-year association with Liverpool.
His exit, while leaving Liverpool with a hefty hole to fill in their side, was not unexpected though. Real Madrid have pursued the player for months, with sources revealing to us back in October that the Spanish giants were in what was described to us as ‘constant contact’ with the player and his representatives.
And while the move to LaLiga will set the player up for life – his incredible earnings while at Real Madrid and signing-on bonus having come to light – it seems he is not moving to Spain for either wealth or even trophies.
Coming clean on the move and sharing what he knows, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague claims Alexander-Arnold is making the move for two personal reasons: to win the Ballon d’Or and conquer the world of football.
“He wants to aim to win the Ballon d’Or. I think he has reached the conclusion that to reach his potential, he has to move abroad and leave his comfort zone,” Balague told BBC Sport.
“He wants to conquer the world and I find that admirable. If you have a bit of empathy, forget about tribalism, you should clap him out. He’s a Liverpool kid that fell in love with Spanish football.”
Balague also thinks Alexander-Arnold should be applauded into the sunset rather than hounded out as some fans supporters have indicated on social media.
“If you have a bit of empathy, forget about tribalism, you should clap him out. He’s a Liverpool kid that fell in love with Spanish football.”
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Steve McManaman, who himself left the Reds to join Real back in 1999, also thinks Alexander-Arnold deserves to leave with his legacy intact.
“It’s unfair,” he said of the criticism aimed at the 26-year-old. “If Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah leave, then it’s Liverpool’s fault; if Trent were to leave, then it’s Trent’s fault.
“His legacy, I hope, is one of an outstanding homegrown footballer who’s done incredibly well for this club.”
Winning the Ballon d’Or is certainly an ambitious goal for the player, especially given that defenders – as Trent is, anyway, by tradition – rarely win the trophy. Indeed, only Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro – back in 2006 – is the only defender since the turn of the century to win the award, which has long been dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, before the pair both dropped out of the top 30 last year.
Either way, his efforts to win the Ballon d’Or must be achieved without wearing his favoured No.66 shirt, with squad numbers in Spain barred over No.25.
Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge also insists the move is not about the money, telling the Liverpool Echo: “It’s a personal thing.
“Obviously the financial incentives will be absolutely ridiculous, but he’s going to be a rich lad if he stays at Liverpool for the rest of his career.”
It’s also been reported that Real are exploring the possibility of bringing forward the player’s move from Liverpool. With his contract expiring at Anfield on June 30, it would be July 1 at the very earliest before he is officially able to report for duty with his new club.
However, with the Club World Cup set to take place in the USA this summer and with Real kicking off the tournament with a game against Al-Hilal on June 18, they are now hoping to persuade the Reds to release the player early.
That would potentially allow Liverpool to save on a month’s wages – with a June 1 date proposed – and also meaning Real paying the Reds a small compensation fee for his early exit.
To help facilitate such a move, a rule change from FIFA has opened up that possibility.
Real are ‘confident’ of making that happen – but must get approval from La Liga and Liverpool to do so.
“The objective is to encourage clubs and players whose contracts are expiring to find an appropriate solution to facilitate the players’ participation,” read a FIFA statement last October about clubs’ ability to alter their squads.
Liverpool transfer latest: Alexander Isak swap deal; Konate wanted by Real
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold is certainly not the first and may not be the last Liverpool player to ditch Merseyside for Madrid.
Wild speculation earlier this week suggested Virgil van Dijk could also join the Reds right-back at the Bernabeu, with Fabrizio Romano quickly reacting to the claims and addressing the latest on his contract negotiations at Anfield.
The transfer journalist has also issued an update on claims that another Liverpool defender, Ibrahima Konate, could also depart Anfield this summer with both PSG and Real Madrid on his trail. The Frenchman’s deal at Anfield is due to expire in summer 2026.
There is much better news, though, on the incoming front with hopes growing of a record swoop on Newcastle for Alexander Isak.
That’s after it was revealed the Swede has rejected Newcastle’s first proposal to sign a new deal, putting Liverpool and Arsenal on ‘red alert’.
Later, it was claimed that Liverpool were keen to tempt Newcastle with a potential swap deal for the 6ft 4in frontman, by offering up to FOUR players to Eddie Howe’s side as part of a complex player exchange.
DEBATE: Should Alexander-Arnold be regarded as a Liverpool legend?