Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold.(Image: Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport/CameraSport via Getty Images)

Trent Alexander-Arnold has made his decision to leave Liverpool, the club where he has spent his football journey since the age of six, and it is a process that could be completed sooner than expected.

Liverpool are going to lose a local figure who has been a rock in squads that have won the Premier League twice, plus the Champions League and every other trophy imaginable.

Although a move to the Spanish capital is yet to be confirmed, Alexander-Arnold is expected to sign on the dotted line for Real.



How and when that happens is yet to be decided, as rounded up by the ECHO here.

READ MORE:Jamie Carragher responds to Trent Alexander-Arnold reaction ahead of Liverpool exit - 'I'm sick'READ MORE:'That hurts' – Jurgen Klopp suspicion raised despite public Liverpool stance

The ECHO understands Real Madrid are attempting to speed along the process of signing Alexander-Arnold so that he is able to feature from the very beginning of this summer's FIFA Club World Cup.

As the 26-year-old confirmed his decision to depart on Monday, his contract at Anfield is only due to end on June 30 - 16 days after the start of the revamped tournament taking place in the United States.

That would involve Liverpool permitting an early release of their player in exchange for a small fee, and would have to be made official during the first of two summer transfer windows scheduled for between June 1 and June 10.

Article continues below

If an agreement is unable to be reached then he will become ineligible to play at the tournament, would have to wait until July to complete a free transfer and even longer to make his debut for Los Blancos.

Little over a week ago Alexander-Arnold was celebrating his second Premier League title with his boyhood club in front of supporters inside Anfield.

It’s disappointing to see you go, but I wish you well for the future."

Alexander-Arnold replied: "Thank you for everything, it’s been a pleasure."

Talks to keep Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool had begun before the end of last season, so before Richard Hughes officially assumed the role of sporting director from June 2024.

The full-back's camp were the first people he contacted after starting.

Discussions continued right through until early spring with offers to make the Reds' No.66 one of the highest-paid full-backs in world football, but defeat was reluctantly accepted as his mind was already made up.

The reason Alexander-Arnold's decision has only been confirmed now was because of his dedication to securing Liverpool their 20th Premier League title.

He had made the vow to fix his future in silence last September, and kept to his word through to the eighth day after the trophy was confirmed.

Liverpool were insistent in March that Real Madrid, as they are obliged to, had not informed them they had struck an agreement but Alexander-Arnold eventually told Arne Slot personally that his decision to leave would be confirmed only at this point.

"I’ve got full confidence in the manager and the staff and the club going forward.

It’s not about me thinking we’re not going to fight for titles or fight for trophies season in, season out because I knew from the first few moments with the manager that he was a winner, he was aiming to go and win things," said Alexander-Arnold about Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot before the defender's imminent departure.

"And you’ve seen that this season with the way that we’ve played.