Real Madrid have reportedly devised a plan to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold before his Liverpool contract expires at the end of June.
Alexander-Arnold's future at Anfield - along with that of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk - has been dominating the headlines for several months, with all three players in danger of leaving the Reds for free this summer.
Multiple reports claim that the 26-year-old is edging closer to joining Real Madrid, who are understood to have lodged an official offer to the right-back's camp and are optimistic about finalising a deal.
The Sun goes as far to say that Alexander-Arnold has already agreed to join Carlo Ancelotti's side and put pen to paper on a five-year contract worth £240,000 per week.
Real Madrid could wait until July 1 to officially sign Alexander-Arnold for free, but it has emerged that the possibility of recruiting the England international a month earlier now appeals to the Spanish giants.
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Real Madrid planning to sign Alexander-Arnold before Club World Cup
According to Sky Sports News, Real Madrid are keen to sign Alexander-Arnold in time for him to play at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool contract does not expire until 15 days after the revamped 32-team tournament, held in the United States, begins on June 15.
However, FIFA are allowing national associations of Club World Cup participating clubs to open a special transfer window to sign and register players between June 1 and June 10.
Participating clubs are also able to add a maximum of two players to their squad during an in-tournament window between June 27 and July 3.
Real Madrid were alleged to have enquired over the possibility of signing Alexander-Arnold for around £20m in the January transfer window, but it was swiftly rebuffed by Premier League champions-elect Liverpool who refused to part ways with the defender midway through the season.
Now, The Sun claims that Los Blancos are willing to pay Liverpool around £5m to recruit Alexander-Arnold on June 1 so that he can link up with Ancelotti's squad in time for the Club World Cup.
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Could Liverpool bank £5m from Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid early?
Alexander-Arnold could play his final game for Liverpool at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on May 25, while it is also possible that he represents England against Andorra (World Cup qualifier) on June 7 and Senegal (friendly) on June 10.
The right-back joined Liverpool's academy at the age of six and he has since made a total of 349 first-team appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and providing 87 assists.
Since making his senior debut in October 2016, Alexander-Arnold has won seven trophies with Liverpool and is expected to lift a second Premier League title at the end of this season as Arne Slot's side sit 12 points clear at the top of the table with only nine games left to play.
The prospect of Alexander-Arnold joining Liverpool has frustrated many Liverpool supporters, but Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague has suggested that the defender is keen to push himself to the next left and "wants to aim to win the Ballon d'Or".
"I think he has reached the conclusion that to reach his potential he has to move abroad and leave his comfort zone," Balague told BBC Sport. "He wants to conquer the world and I find that admirable.
"If you have a bit of empathy, forget about tribalism, you should clap him out. He's a Liverpool kid that fell in love with Spanish football."
Alexander-Arnold could follow in the footsteps of fellow Englishman Steve McManaman and Michael Owen in swapping Liverpool for Real Madrid, while he could also link up with close friend and international teammate Jude Bellingham at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Oliver Thomas
