Trent Alexander-Arnold: Right-back leaves Liverpool a contemporary nice however some enthusiasts can be harm

It may also be a time of churn off the pitch on the Bernabeu, with mythical trainer Carlo Ancelotti anticipated to depart on the finish of the season.

Why depart the stableness and good fortune of Liverpool for a time of transition at Real Madrid?

The solution is discreet. The trap of Real Madrid is sort of at all times impossible to resist.

In 2023, Bellingham used to be being courted by way of each and every main membership in Europe sooner than selecting Real. As he put it on the time: “When Real Madrid knock on the door, the whole house shakes.”

The largest indicator as to the place Alexander-Arnold’s long term lay got here when Real Madrid lodged a £20m bid within the January switch window.

Those with lengthy wisdom of Real’s switch technique had been confident they wouldn’t make the sort of transfer, with its chance of rejection, with out being assured a loose switch can be finished in the summertime.

Liverpool did flip the be offering down, now not handiest in need of to stay Alexander-Arnold but in addition hoping to shop for time for a metamorphosis of middle. Two months later, he met head trainer Arne Slot to tell him he would now not be signing a brand new contract.

While there used to be at all times a quiet self assurance at the back of the scenes at Anfield that Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk would signal new offers, there used to be by no means the similar sense of assurance about Alexander-Arnold.

This has been, now and then, a troublesome season for Alexander-Arnold with accidents and the consistent hypothesis – and latterly assumption – that he used to be on his manner out.

It all appeared to come to go within the 2-2 draw in opposition to Manchester United at Anfield in January.

After Real Madrid’s bid changed into public wisdom, Alexander-Arnold delivered a nightmare efficiency in what appeared like a fog of bewilderment, enjoying a deficient cross that resulted in Lisandro Martinez’s objective for United sooner than getting stuck out badly for Amad Diallo’s overdue equaliser.

He used to be then given a yellow card and changed by way of Conor Bradley with 4 mins left, having appeared misplaced and distracted during, whilst feeling the sound of Anfield’s frustration aimed in his path.