Alexander-Arnold departs Liverpool to join Real Madrid

Trent Alexander-Arnold announced on Monday that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, after 20 years at the Anfield club. The English right-back's destination will be Real Madrid, which made an offer to Liverpool for Alexander-Arnold just before the transfer window opened in January. Alexander-Arnold will become a Madrid player at 26, having been a European champion with his lifelong club in 2019, and twice a Premier League winner, in 2020 and the current campaign.

Alexander-Arnold officially stated on Monday that he will not renew his contract with Liverpool, which ends on June 30, although he did not confirm that his immediate future is tied to Real Madrid, which wishes to have him for the Club World Cup starting June 14 in the United States. Thus, the Spanish club would need to pay a symbolic amount to the 'reds' to secure the player earlier, a player long coveted by Florentino Pérez for a position where Dani Carvajal has been sorely missed since his severe knee injury last October.

"This is the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. I know many of you have wondered why or felt frustrated because I haven't spoken about this yet, but it was always my intention to keep my focus entirely on the team's best interests, which was securing the 20th title," Alexander-Arnold stated through a video posted on his social media.

"This club has been my entire life, my whole world, for 20 years. From the Academy to now, the support and love I've felt from everyone, inside and outside the club, will stay with me forever. I will be eternally indebted to you. But I've never known anything else, and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, stepping out of my comfort zone, and pushing myself both professionally and personally. I've given everything every day I've been at this club, and I hope you feel I've given something back during my time here," added the British defender.