BY: Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa
Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid have reportedly reached a verbal agreement for a summer transfer, with the final legal details of the contract being finalized.
He’s expected to sign a five-to-six year deal with the Spanish giants, with a reported annual salary of around €15 million gross per season, plus a signing-on fee equivalent to a reasonable transfer fee.
Alexander-Arnold’s contract with Liverpool was set to expire on June 30, 2025, Real Madrid might not have to pay a traditional transfer fee. However, if they want to sign him in time for the Club World Cup, they might need to pay a fee to Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold’s reaction to his transfer news:
“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” ¹.
In another part of his statement, he also mentioned:
“I think first and foremost, I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it. I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here.”
“Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a new change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that.”
“There’s a lot I would like to say. The main thing is a massive thank you. You guys have been there from the start with me, you guys have supported me, been there.”
“I’ve felt the support, the love, everything that you guys have done has never been unnoticed by me, I’ve loved every single minute of it. I hope they have felt that has been reciprocated and that I’ve given everything I could to the club.” ²
