Trent Alexander-Arnold now set for EARLY Liverpool exit

Trent Alexander-Arnold could now leave Liverpool before his contract expires this summer. Real Madrid will push for it.

It now appears certain that Trent Alexander-Arnold will join Real Madrid this year. The right-back's contract expires at the end of June and he's all-but signed a pre-contract with the European champions.

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Liverpool have done all they can to get him to renew his contract. Alexander-Arnold has appeared set on a move to Madrid for some time, however, and has been free to negotiate with them since January 1st.

A flurry of reports earlier this week suggested he had essentially confirmed his exit to Real Madrid. Fabrizio Romano was among those saying a formal offer had made its way to Alexander-Arnold from Los Blancos - and everyone expects him to sign it.

With that, Liverpool would lose an incredibly valuable player for free. A homegrown one, no less, and someone who appeared destined for greatness with the Reds.

Instead, he'll jump ship to Real Madrid like Steve McManaman and Michael Owen before him. We'll just have to wait and see if that's the right decision.

But it also seems that Alexander-Arnold could leave Liverpool before his contract expires. That's now the plan in Madrid.

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Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold plan

AS reports that Real Madrid want to negotiate with Liverpool to release Alexander-Arnold early. They're not suggesting he departs before the Reds' season ends - but the moment it does, they'd like him to move.

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The reason is very, very simple: they want him for the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. There's a registration window shortly before the tournament starts but Alexander-Arnold's contract won't expire in time for him to register.

Madrid, then, hope to strike a deal with Liverpool to end his contract early.

Now, no one should expect any money to change hands here. Instead, Real Madrid hope that Liverpool see this for what it is - an opportunity to save around £500k on Alexander-Arnold.

The player is useless to the club once the season is done but they'll still need to pay him until June 30th. End the contract early, letting him sign for Real Madrid, and Liverpool don't have to pay him beyond the end of the season.

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It is in fact the smart thing to do and we imagine Liverpool will just say 'yes'. No one really wants to see Real Madrid - or Alexander-Arnold - get their best-of-both-worlds here but the £500k in wages is worth more than the pettiness of keeping him.