Trent Alexander-Arnold offered two squad number options at Real Madrid

Real Madrid have confirmed the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold as a free agent ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.

In one of the most open secrets in European football, Los Blancos have been working tirelessly on a deal for the England international, since the end of 2024.

The final stage of negotiations has been tricky for Real Madrid with Alexander-Arnold confirming he would leave Anfield when his contract expired at the end of June.

However, Real Madrid’s desire to have him available for the flight to the USA altered the talks, and Arne Slot has now secured a transfer fee for his departing right-back.

Liverpool land €10m fee for Alexander-Arnold

Xabi Alonso was determined to have the England international in place and training with his new side ahead of their trip to the United States.

As per The Athletic, Liverpool will receive €10m after opting to bring the move forward. Los Blancos were willing to pay €40m to make the move happen in January, but Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold prioritised their Premier League challenge.

Initial talks to speed up the deal had Los Blancos quoting around €1m but more recent reports claimed they would pay around €5m.

What number will Trent Alexander-Arnold wear at Real Madrid?

Alexander-Arnold has become synonymous with his decision to stick with No.66 at Liverpool after wearing it through his academy days.

But a change is required at Real Madrid with La Liga rules only permitting squads to contain numbers 1 to 25 as per Diario AS.

No.1, 13, and 23 are reserved for goal keepers, so Alexander-Arnold will have to take the number of a departing player – with Kylian Mbappe on course to inherit Luka Modric’s No.10.

Lucas Vazquez and Jesus Vallejo will vacate the No.17 and No.18 spots respectively, but with Vazquez travelling to the Club World Cup, Alexander-Arnold may start Los Blancos life at No.18.