Kieran Maguire reveals possible £200m Alexander-Arnold windfall for Liverpool
Liverpool look set to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold for free this summer.
The 26-year-old has reportedly agreed to leave his boyhood club to join Real Madrid when his contract expires in June, although there has been no direct confirmation.
However, the Reds could still be set to make a significant amount of money from the academy graduate despite his seemingly impending exit.
Liverpool to receive £200m despite Alexander-Arnold exit
Liverpool rejected a bid for Alexander-Arnold from the Spanish giants in the final few days of the winter transfer window.
That decision is expected to pay off massively as the Reds are set to bank a huge sum for their success in the Premier League.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire explained that the financial benefits of keeping the England star outweighed the £25m fee that they could have secured if they had allowed him to depart halfway through the campaign.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate (1 April), he said: “I think there was an offer from Real Madrid in January, it was about £25million, they turned that down, why did they turn that down?
“Because they are looking to qualify for the Champions League next season, that is worth up to £150-200m, so therefore by keeping Trent at the club and making sure that they win the Premier League, you do it from a financial point of view.
“They would have done the sums, because they are the most cold and calculating and forensic club going, and they are brilliant at what they do.
“They simply said we are better off keeping him until the end of the season, that £25m loss will be more than made up by winning the Premier League, the bonuses they get from sponsors, getting the addition money from being the top English club in next year’s Champions League, that has all been factored into the decision.”
Alexander-Arnold exit will devastate Liverpool supporters
If Alexander-Arnold does depart the club that he has been at since the age of six, it will be a devastating blow for supporters.
The Three Lions ace has won every major honour with his boyhood club and with them still competing at the highest level, many have been left questioning why he would make the move, even Jamie Carragher was shocked.
| Competition | Alexander-Arnold |
| Premier League | 1 (Could be 2 at the end of the season) |
| Champions League | 1 |
| FA Cup | 1 |
| Carabao Cup | 2 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 1 |
| FIFA Club World Club | 1 |
Some observers though, such as Guillem Balague have claimed that Liverpool supporters should be happy for him, which is an utterly ridiculous suggestion.
The allure of the Spanish capital is obvious: the chance to carve a greater legacy to the wider footballing world and the fame and fortune and the chance to win the Ballon d’Or, which is weighted heavily in favour of Madrid and Barcelona.
The potential windfall will be little comfort to Reds fans, who have been left reeling that their hometown star is set to leave for no fee and has seemingly engineered the situation in previous contract renewals to put himself in this position.
On the pitch, Arne Slot and Richard Hughes face a huge challenge to replace him and a significant chunk of the £200m will surely be allocated to a signing at right-back, along with other areas of the squad that need to be improved.