Liverpool set demands for pre-Club World Cup deal with Real Madrid

Real Madrid will be busy this summer, and the first of likely multiple signings is expected to be Trent Alexander-Arnold. Although there has been no official confirmation as of yet, the expectation is that the Liverpool and England defender will make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu when his contract expires.

Alexander-Arnold has been courted by Real Madrid for months, and their efforts are about to pay off. His Liverpool contract expires on the 30th of June, but interestingly, there is a good chance that he joins up with Los Blancos before this date.

Due to the new format of the Club World Cup taking place this summer, there is an additional window for clubs to make signings prior to the tournament kicking off. And given that Real Madrid are involved, there is a desire for them to have Alexander-Arnold in their squad to make the trip to the United States.

Liverpool are not competing at the Club World Cup, and as a result, they are prepared to let Alexander-Arnold leave prior to his contract expiring – but not for free. They would ask for compensation, and according to Diario AS, it would amount to a figure in the region of €1-2m. On top of this, it is reported that the player himself is willing to forego the final month of his salary at the Premier League champions in order to join Real Madrid before this summer’s tournament.

The expectation is that all parties will be able to reach an amicable agreement, and that is what Real Madrid are after. They could certainly do with taking Alexander-Arnold to the Club World Cup, given that Lucas Vazquez is their only 100% available right-back – Dani Carvajal is hoping to be fit, but it is unlikely that he will be fully available given that he is coming off the back of an ACL injury.