Trent Alexander-Arnold: How Liverpool can still get a transfer fee from Real Madrid for defender | OneFootball

The defender could be making his Real Madrid debut in a few weeks

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Liverpool could yet receive a transfer fee from Real Madrid for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Alexander-Arnold said the need for "a change" was a key driving factor behind his decision, and he is expected to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.

As it stands, the England international would move to the Santiago Bernabeu on June 1, as his Liverpool contract expires the day before.

Real Madrid tried and failed to sign Alexander-Arnold during the January transfer window, seeing a £20million bid immediately rejected by Liverpool on New Year's Eve.

The revamped Club World Cup offers another opportunity for Liverpool to pocket some money for the academy graduate. The inaugural 32-team version takes place this summer, running from June 14 to July 13.

The Premier League recently confirmed that the summer transfer window will open early, on June 1, to allow clubs to trade before the start of the competition. It would then shut and reopen a week later.

This would allow Madrid to buy Alexander-Arnold a few weeks earlier and have him make his debut in the Club World Cup group stage, where they face Al Hilal on June 18, followed by games against Pachuca and Salzburg, before the defender's Liverpool contract expires.

If Liverpool continue to dig in their heels, Alexander-Arnold can be registered for the Club World Cup by July 3 to be eligible for the knockout stage.

However, it would be a tight turnaround. Real Madrid would play their first knockout stage game on July 1, should they win their group, or a day early on June 30 if they finish as runners-up.