Real Madrid will step up their attempts to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold as a Bosman free agent in the summer as part of the European champions’ “all-or-nothing” transfer policy.
The Spanish giants have targeted Alexander-Arnold, 26, as a long-term successor to Dani Carvajal, although no agreement is yet in place despite the Liverpool defender being permitted to negotiate a pre-contract with other clubs.
Alexander-Arnold has less than five months left on his contract at Anfield and is allowed to move on a free this summer without an extension in place.
Telegraph Sport reported in December that landing Alexander-Arnold as a free transfer was the La Liga champions’ primary focus. While they made a bid of around £20 million during the January window, there was no expectation of a deal progressing.
When asked about the Alexander-Arnold bid, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher told The Gary Neville Podcast last month: “All those parties know Liverpool are going to turn that down anyway.”
Alexander-Arnold has remained silent on his future at Liverpool and with Arne Slot’s team competing for the Premier League title, he is unlikely to want distractions away from securing another major piece of silverware to his haul which includes the 2019 Champions League trophy.
Analysis: Five reasons Real Madrid are confident
1. Transfer policy
Real have established a clear policy when it comes to bringing players to the club, with sources describing it as “all or nothing”. They will either spend big to land players such as Jude Bellingham for £115 million – or not pay a penny in transfer fees.
They have become the masters of landing the best free transfers across Europe, with Kylian Mbappé the latest to arrive as a free agent. Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba are other examples of players running their contracts down to secure a move to the Bernabeu.
Madrid are also prepared to pay big fees for the best youth players, with Endrick, Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga arriving as teenagers. Camavinga, who played in the 3-2 win over Manchester City on Tuesday, was 18 when he was signed from Rennes. They are not going for mid-range £30-40 million deals to bolster the squad.
2. Reduced risk for club
The risk is very much on the side of the player, who could suffer injury or be subject to a change of heart on the part of Madrid as their contract runs down in the final year. Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies looked to be a potential Bosman signing as he approached the end of his terms but has since signed a contract extension at the Allianz Arena. But he is the exception to the rule: from Real’s perspective, they know most players would jump at the chance to join them.
3. Berths for Alexander-Arnold to fill
At the moment Carlo Ancelotti has Carvajal out for the season after suffering an anterior-cruciate ligament injury. Alexander-Arnold would be a like-for-like replacement and has shown he can play as an inverted full-back, moving into central midfield to influence the game with his passing.
With Carvajal, Rüdiger and Alaba out for the City clash, Ancelotti had two midfielders – Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde in his back line – and 21-year-old Raúl Asencio.
“It’s really difficult to adapt to that position especially when you play against the best No 9 of the generation,” said Bellingham. “I thought Tchouaméni was brilliant and Asencio was – he’s been playing first-team football for four months and comes away to the Etihad and plays like that. Credit to all four of them, especially those two, I’m really proud of them.”
4. Costs of the deal
Given that Real are not paying a transfer fee, the salary, signing-on bonuses and add-ons are weighted towards the player. In the current market, Galactico signings at Real, according to sources, would expect to land between £8 million to £10 million net a season, which is around the £400,000-a-week range.
5. Alexander-Arnold’s position
Alexander-Arnold has remained tight-lipped about his contract situation at Anfield but he has spoken about his ambition to be a Ballon d’Or winner.
“I believe I can,” Alexander-Arnold, told Sky Sports. “I want to be the first full-back to ever do it. It’s only the morning after you retire that you’re able to look in the mirror and say, ‘I gave it everything I got’.
“It doesn’t matter how many trophies you win, or how many medals you’ve got. It matters what you give to the game and if you reach your full potential.”
