Trent Alexander-Arnold confirms Liverpool exit and set to join Real Madrid

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.