While anticipating a free transfer to Real Madrid, the Spanish giants paid Liverpool £10 million to expedite Alexander-Arnold's arrival. 'The Telegraph' reveals the player received the news on the open-top bus during the Premier League title celebrations.
These are testing times for Trent-Alexander Arnold. The full-back, currently adapting to life at Real Madrid, has seen Dani Carvajal overtake him in the pecking order after a ten-month injury layoff. To add insult to injury, Thomas Tuchel opted to leave him out of the England squad for the start of their 2026 World Cup campaign. But he is not giving up: he left behind his entire life at his boyhood club and the opportunity to captain Liverpool to pursue his dream of success at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The full-back's move to the Spanish capital had been brewing for some time. 'The Telegraph' explains all in a report with some intriguing details. For example, how he found out that his signing for Real Madrid would not be on 1 July, but a few weeks earlier. Consequently, his holidays were brought forward.
According to the British newspaper, several Liverpool executives approached Alexander-Arnold while on the open-top bus that was carrying the team through the city to celebrate their Premier League title. There, in a small group, although in front of all the fans, they informed the player that Real Madrid had agreed to pay ten million euros to bring forward his arrival for the Club World Cup.
The Englishman had to suppress his emotions and carry on as if nothing had happened, waving to the public who packed the streets of Liverpool to finally celebrate a Premier League title. It was redemption for the 'Red' fans, as they were unable to celebrate the league title won in 2020 under Jürgen Klopp - the first in three decades - due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
That brought to a premature end a cycle of several particularly tough months for the player. The Liverpool fans did not take kindly to Alexander-Arnold's decision to leave as a free agent, and some booed and jeered him at Anfield. Some fans even put up posters criticising the full-back in a pub very close to the stadium. An environment previously unknown to Trent, who grew up in West Derby, very close to the old Melwood training centre. You couldn't get more of a local lad.
During the Premier League celebrations, the 27-year-old footballer was able to redeem himself to some extent and received applause from his people in his farewell to Anfield. Furthermore, knowing that he would ultimately leave some money in the coffers was a relief for Alexander-Arnold, who learned of the news on 26 May and was making his debut for Real Madrid in the Club World Cup on 18 June.