Following Trent Alexander-Arnold's announcement that he is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, the England star is expected to sign for Real Madrid this summer.
The Spanish giants have made no secret of their intent to sign the 26-year-old and they reportedly approached Liverpool in January to sign the Premier League winner, but the club rejected the offer.
However, after Alexander-Arnold decided to end his twenty-year association with the club, the path is now clear for him to move to follow in the footsteps of Steve McManaman by making a free transfer move to the Bernabeu.
Talks with his camp are said to have been ongoing for months, and only the final details of a contract are now being negotiated.
As part of those talks, Madrid are keen to recruit Alexander-Arnold before the end of his contract so that he can play in this summer's FIFA Club World Cup.
The full-back's deal doesn't officially end until June 30th, but with the clubs involved in the FIFA Club World Cup having permission to sign players before the start of the tournament in mid-June, the La Liga side want to negotiate an agreement with Liverpool -- for a reasonable fee - that would release Alexander-Arnold from his contract earlier and allow him to play in the tournament.

Madrid will Al Hilal in Miami, Florida on June 18, Pachuca in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 22, and Salzburg in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 26 as part of Group H in the USA and are apparently keen to have their new signing involved as they look to bed him in as quickly as possible.
If an early agreement can't be reached for Alexander-Arnold, he could still play some part in the tournament if Madrid make it to the quarter-finals, which begin at the start of July.
The Liverpool-born star is set for an emotional farewell to the club this month, having won every major honour on Merseyside and says goodbye after becoming a two-time Premier League winner.
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