Though January 1 marks the first day Trent Alexander-Arnold can legally discuss a contract with Real Madrid, reports claim informal talks began much earlier.
Despite it being reiterated that players with contracts expiring at the end of the season can begin speaking with other clubs from New Year’s Day, it would be foolish to believe that would be their first contact.
In modern football, the mechanics of a transfer are largely conducted before any official contact between the two clubs involved.
That will certainly be the case with Alexander-Arnold, whose contract runs out in July and on Tuesday was subject of a bid of around £20 million from suitors Real Madrid.
Real’s attempt to sign the right-back in January was immediately rejected, but there is now an expectation that he will instead move as a free agent in the summer.
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It is Real’s belief that he will, with The Athletic reporting that the Spanish champions have been confident of a deal since informal talks with Alexander-Arnold’s representatives in November.
“Madrid were encouraged by the lack of progress in talks between Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold over a new contract,” their report on Tuesday explained.
“Sources close to Madrid state that since mid-to-late November, they have believed the 26-year-old has been leaning towards moving to Spain after making informal contact with the player’s camp.”
While it is unclear exactly when these talks will have been held, the timing is certainly convenient given Real travelled to Anfield on November 27 for their 2-0 loss in the Champions League.
Alexander-Arnold was not involved that night, spending the 90 minutes as an unused substitute having recently returned from injury, with stand-in Conor Bradley‘s heroic tackle on Kylian Mbappe making headlines.
But the presence of Real officials, and almost certainly Alexander-Arnold’s representative brother Tyler, makes it likely contact was made that week.
“Those same sources expect Alexander-Arnold, who has a close friendship with Madrid’s England international midfielder Jude Bellingham, to sign a pre-contract agreement with the Bernabeu club in January,” The Athletic added.
“They say a long-term deal of at least four years and a hefty signing-on fee have been proposed.”
The notion of a signing-on fee is particularly interesting given that would be Real’s main outlay were they to sign Alexander-Arnold as a free agent.
It would effectively replace a formal transfer fee paid to Liverpool, while agents typically receive a higher payout for such deals as the sole representative of a player no longer attached to a club.
For example, Mbappe’s move to Real last summer was reported to include a signing-on fee of anywhere between £85 million and £128 million, paid over the length of his deal.
