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When it emerged earlier this month that Real Madrid wanted to bring in Trent Alexander-Arnold before his contract had technically expired, it would have been easy for Liverpool to have
slammed the phone in incredulity. Having accepted defeat in their efforts to keep their vice captain for the rest of his 20s, an offer of £850,000 to take the England international to the
Spanish capital a month earlier might well have felt like an additional slap in the face. On the face of it, it was akin to the final insult to the ongoing injury. But rather than have the
fresh dollop of salt tipped into the gaping wound, it represented an opportunity for sporting director Richard Hughes and the club as a whole. Supporters might well have been minded to stick
a proverbial finger or two in the direction of a team for whom little love is lost, but the chance to discuss terms around a player whose last ball has now been kicked in Liverpool red
appealed. Viewed as a paltry offer of less than £1m, it was initially unclear how the Reds planned to proceed or respond to los Blancos' bid. But having rejected an advance in late
December due in favour of allowing Alexander-Arnold to aid the charge towards the Premier League title, Liverpool were more amenable when the La Liga giants came knocking once more. Having
accepted the 26-year-old's decision to seek a fresh challenge in Madrid once his contract had officially expired on June 30, Liverpool instead used their rivals' desperation to see
Alexander-Arnold turn out for them at the Club World Cup to their benefit. Real Madrid's Club World Cup campaign officially gets under in the United States on June 18, when they meet
Al-Hilal of the Saudi Pro League and they wanted Alexander-Arnold with them in their ranks for the competition. And while seeing the West Derby-born defender shuffle away from his boyhood
club for a fee that is nowhere near his true value as an England international who has won the lot at Anfield is not exactly an ideal outcome, the £10m fee that Liverpool will bank for his
exit, in the circumstances, should be constituted a win of sorts, particularly given it looked like he would be leaving for nothing less than a week ago. The Reds will likely save around
£800,000 on Alexander-Arnold's wage for June on top of their fee that will now be earned once the transfer is rubber stamped when the window itself opens on Sunday for a 10-day period.
In many ways, it shows how lucrative the revamped and new-look Club World Cup is that Madrid are prepared to spend £10m to bring a player in four weeks before they can snare him for nothing.
But that would be doing Liverpool's hardline negotiating a stance a disservice and while the fee is a bittersweet moment for those still hurting about Alexander-Arnold's decision
to defect, it points towards a football operations department who are prepared to be robust and aggressive in their wheeling and their dealings this summer. And full credit to Hughes, who
has bided his time following his arrival from Bournemouth last summer. The Reds chief was described as "the best in the business" to the ECHO this week by those familiar with his
way of working and having already secured Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to two new contracts, the building blocks to keep Liverpool on top are now being shifted into place. The £109m
offer to Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz is also further evidence of that, as Liverpool waste no time firming up their status as the best side in the country ahead of next season. With
Jeremie Frimpong now confirmed as a Reds player, a £10m Alexander-Arnold feel offsetting the departure of a vaunted player and Wirtz negotiations ongoing, it's obvious there is no
resting on laurels for Arne Slot, Hughes and the rest of those tasked with keeping the club where it currently finds itself.