Trent Alexander-Arnold has confirmed he is leaving Liverpool and with a Real Madrid agreement now in place after spending 20 years with the club.
Football’s worst kept secret is now out in the open, with Alexander-Arnold confirming his time at Liverpool will conclude this summer.
The right-back broke the news on his social media accounts, while trusted journalists, Paul Joyce, David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano all stated his future lays with Real Madrid.
Taking to X, Romano wrote “BREAKING: Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, here we go!
“Decision to leave Liverpool now confirmed as Trent says goodbye to the club after winning one more PL title.
“Documents being prepared for Trent to join Real Madrid on a 5 year contract, verbal agreement done.”
Ornstein stated: “Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave Liverpool when his contract expires this summer.
“Alexander-Arnold is expected to join Real Madrid as a free agent, with sources in Spain speaking anonymously to protect relationships suggesting a proposed six-year agreement, which would start in July, is in the process of being completed.
“A deal for the right-back, 26, to join the La Liga side has now entered its final stages and is on course to be signed in the coming weeks.”
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, it is now certain that the right-back will move to Real Madrid. According to him, Alexander-Arnold has agreed a five-year contract with the Whites.
Real will not have to pay a transfer fee for the Englishman (market value: 75 million euros), as his contract at Liverpool expires at the end of the season.
Alexander-Arnold took the opportunity to thank his coaches, team-mates, staff and fans “for the last 20 years”. “My love for this club will never die.”
Why Alexander-Arnold is leaving Liverpool
Alexander-Arnold can win the biggest prizes in the game at Anfield and if staying, could have gone on to book his place as one of Liverpool’s all-time greats.
However, Joyce stated the one thing Alexander-Arnold craves is the one thing Liverpool cannot offer – a new challenge.
Joyce wrote: “Alexander-Arnold is not departing because he has fallen out of love with the club he joined at the age of six or because he believes they will not continue to be successful under the head coach Arne Slot. In the future, he would like to go back to Anfield and watch as a supporter.
“Instead, aged 26, he simply wants to try something totally new and fresh. That is the one thing Liverpool could not offer.
“In his family’s executive box at Anfield, there is a chart on the wall that chronicles Alexander-Arnold’s progress while also providing a nod and a wink to his shirt number.
“Under the heading “Route 66” it shows milestones ranging from his first session at the club’s academy to captaining the Under-16s, his debut, a first goal through to being nominated for the Ballon d’Or. There are 38 landmarks in total and that only takes him through to December 2020. That is part of the issue.
“By the age of 23 years and 219 days, Alexander-Arnold had done it all with Liverpool. Champions League, Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup, Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup. The youngest player at an English club ever to complete that set.
“Of course, you can try and do it all over again. Multiple times.
“Slot has challenged him since succeeding Jürgen Klopp, trying to make him better defensively and refining his role. He has ensured the managerial transition has been successful and there would be goals to achieve next term. But, in the player’s mind, it would essentially be about conquering what has come to feel familiar. The hamster wheel of Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham and visits to Turf Moor, Elland Road and Villa Park.
“Ultimately, Alexander-Arnold craves another stimulus. Walking into a different dressing room and, as the new boy, having to prove himself again to a set of teammates and coaches. New country, new culture and, importantly, a new motivation. Forget about the friendship with his England team-mate Jude Bellingham being a deciding factor.”
Source: Agencies
