Real Madrid would not have signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool unless they were able to do so on a free agent basis, or at a vastly reduced fee due to contract pressures.
Media local to the Spanish club repeatedly made it clear that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez wasn’t entirely convinced by the Liverpool player, mainly from a defensive aspect and his unusual profile, and therefore there’d be no way Real Madrid would be paying big bucks for him. They also don’t like paying big for defenders generally.
As Alexander-Arnold got closer to the end of his contract, he became a market opportunity, and that made the situation much more attractive to the Spanish club.
Obviously, the move has caused a great deal of annoyance among many Liverpool fans, both towards the player and Real Madrid themselves.
That latter part of that annoyance may be about to go through the roof.
Marca editor José Félix Díaz has published a report on Wednesday evening which starts by explaining Real Madrid interest in Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen.
Other defensive options for Real Madrid are Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté and Arsenal’s William Saliba.
The latter’s contract lasts until June 2027, but Konate’s at Liverpool runs out in 2026. Marca’s report says Los Blancos are waiting until closer to the end of each Frenchman’s contract before making an approach.
All of that presents a headache for Liverpool.
Not only is there the chance of losing another senior player on a free transfer to Real Madrid, Konate’s representatives will be aware they can use that pressure during renewal negotiations.
