Trent Alexander-Arnold has announced he is leaving Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the season, paving the way for a free transfer to Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old confirmed the decision on his social media channels on Monday. He informed the Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot, that he would not be signing a contract extension at the end of March but kept the news private to avoid distracting from the club’s successful pursuit of the Premier League title. He is believed to have verbally agreed a five-year contract with Real Madrid that reports in Spain claim will be worth around £7.5m a year after tax.
Confirmation of Alexander-Arnold’s exit as a free agent is a major setback for Liverpool, although the club believes it did everything within its power to convince the homegrown defender to stay. He was offered a new contract at Anfield that would have made him the best paid full-back in the Premier League and one of the highest paid full-backs in the world. Ultimately, however, the player’s desire for a fresh challenge usurped the financial and sporting package on offer at Liverpool.
Upheaval at the top of the club – from sporting directors leaving to having to find a successor to Jürgen Klopp last year – meant talks over a new deal for Alexander-Arnold did not commence formally until Slot was appointed in May 2024. Richard Hughes made the first approach to Alexander-Arnold’s representatives before officially starting as Liverpool’s new sporting director on 1 June last year. Negotiations remained cordial throughout, but it became clear in March that the England international was set on a move to Spain and Liverpool would not be able to retain him as well as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, both of whom recently signed new two-year contracts.
“After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season,” said Alexander-Arnold. “This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life. I know many of you have wondered why or been frustrated that I haven’t spoken about this yet, but it was always my intention to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No 20.
“This club has been my whole life – my whole world – for 20 years. From the academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all. But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally.
“I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here. From the bottom of my heart, I thank everybody – my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the staff and our incredible supporters – for the last 20 years. I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die.”
Alexander-Arnold joined Liverpool’s youth ranks at the age of six and made his first-team debut in a League Cup tie against Tottenham in October 2016, 18 days after his 18th birthday. He has gone on to make 352 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 23 goals and winning the Champions League, two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup.
He has long been linked with a move to Real and the sense that he was destined to join the Spanish giants only strengthened after they made a £20m bid for the player on New Year’s Eve that was rejected immediately by Liverpool. The club knew they risked losing an asset for nothing this summer but were determined not to undermine their chances of winning the Premier League title.
Liverpool could receive a compensation fee for Alexander-Arnold if he joins Real before his contract expires on 30 June. Real are competing in the Club World Cup this summer and are entitled to register new players from 1-10 June. However, it is unclear when Alexander-Arnold will complete his move to the Bernabéu.
“Alexander-Arnold will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for his contribution during a sustained period of success,” read a Liverpool statement. The player will remain part of Slot’s squad for the final three games of the season and for the presentation of the Premier League trophy after the finale against Crystal Palace on 25 May.
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