Well, it's official! Trent Alexander-Arnold is a Real Madrid player after signing a pre-contract agreement from Liverpool. Despite popular belief, though, the transfer didn't end up being free. Real Madrid has paid €10m to get him onboarded early.
Real Madrid is an absolute monster in the transfer window. Not only is the Spanish capital a destination the best players in the world, but they are very strategic in how they operate their transfer proceedings.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Florentino Perez is one of the smartest club presidents of all time. He has completely revolutionized Real Madrid, but what's even more impressive, is his ability to move with the times.
At the turn of the century, Real Madrid was infamous for the "Galactico era", where Florentino Perez pushed for high-profile signings at luxury price tags. However, as the soccer economy changed, and finances became more complicated, he moved towards bargain hunting, and he's the best at it.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid price tag shocks fans
Time and time again, Real Madrid has convinced players to join them for free at the end of their respective contracts. This was half the case for Trent Alexander-Arnold; he signed at the end of his contract, but Real Madrid didn't get him for free.
As revealed by Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid has paid a €10m transfer fee to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold, in order to make sure he's ready for the Club World Cup. So, through their own decision making, Trent isn't technically a free signing.
In his own words, Romano said: "Understand Real Madrid to pay a transfer fee of around €10m to Liverpool to have Trent Alexander-Arnold at the Club World Cup. Real will also cover his salary for June and July as part of the agreement with Liverpool."
However, it's still an incredibly smart business by Real Madrid. Yes, they'll pay a measly €10m fee to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold early, but this fee will be earned back easily. The Club World Cup is an excellent money-making opportunity, so to have Trent front and center, will certainly benefit Real.
Furthermore, it will give Trent a full pre-season to embed himself into Xabi Alonso's new structure. Make no mistake about it, Real Madrid is taking the new season seriously.
This all comes down to the age-old saying: if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing now.