Trent Alexander-Arnold has one more match with Liverpool before he’ll either leave the Reds and set off to take part in the Club World Cup for Real Madrid, or miss the tournament and see out the final days of his contract at Anfield.
There’s been no clarity yet on whether Real Madrid can manage to convince Liverpool to let go of their player early. Talk of Los Blancos paying a fee to get Alexander-Arnold early has been constant, and in that case they’d be able to take him to the FIFA tournament. The Spanish media have spoken about Real Madrid sending €1-2m to Arne Slot’s side for the early release but right now it appears there’s no agreement.
Next season, Alexander-Arnold will be in direct competition with Dani Carvajal for a place in Real Madrid’s team. The 33-year-old has spent a season out after a knee injury, but before that he was held in such high regard in the Madrid media that they were even pushing the idea of him being worthy of a Ballon d’Or.
That came after Carvajal helped Spain win Euro 2024, following his La Liga and Champions League victories with Real Madrid.
Now in the final stage of his recovery from that injury, and trying to get himself fit for the Club World Cup, Carvajal was asked if he fears Trent’s arrival from Liverpool.
In response, [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/real-madrid/20250521/1002468622/miedo-trent-alexander-arnold-habla-miedo-seremos-companeros.html) quote him as saying: _“It hasn’t been made official yet, but it seems so. Fear? We don’t talk about fear here; we’ll be teammates. Competition improves both of us and brings out the best in each of us.”_
Carvajal will not be ready to give his place up, especially after so long out with injury.