Real Madrid News
The fee Real Madrid are paying Liverpool for Alexander-Arnold’s early release – Romano
Real Madrid confirmed their second signing of the summer today as they announced that Trent Alexander-Arnold has signed for the club from Liverpool.
The England international had already announced that he would be leaving Liverpool this summer when his contract expired on June 30.
An agreement with Real Madrid had been reached a while ago, but the Spanish heavyweights wanted to sign him before his deal ran out so that he can be available for the FIFA Club World Cup starting in the second week of June.
As such, they were locked in negotiations with Liverpool to secure his early release. Initially, they requested the Reds to let the 26-year-old right-back leave for free which fell on deaf ears.
€10 million fee agreed
Now, Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Madrid have agreed to pay a transfer fee of €10 million to Liverpool to get the early release of Alexander-Arnold.
It had been earlier suggested that the deal could be struck for a nominal fee of around €1-2 million, but it appears that Los Blancos are shelling out a slightly more significant sum than that.
In addition to that, Real Madrid will also cover Alexander-Arnold’s salary for the month of June as part of the agreement with Liverpool.
The 26-year-old defender has signed a six-year contract with Real Madrid until June 30, 2031 and will be arriving at the club at the beginning of the next month.
With Alexander-Arnold arriving, he is likely to be the first-choice right-back for the Merengues at the Club World Cup this summer, with Dani Carvajal still in the final phase of his recovery from an ACL injury.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid eye €40 millon-rated goalkeeper as potential Thibaut Courtois replacement
Real Madrid boast one of the best goalkeepers in world football in the form of Thibaut Courtois.
However, the Belgian is already 34 and his current contract at the club expires at the end of the season.
Although Real Madrid are keen on extending his contract, they are preparing for the possibility of life beyond the veteran goalkeeper as well.
Keeping that in mind, Real Madrid are already keeping tabs on the market and monitoring potential replacements, with Diogo Costa emerging as one of the options.
Real Madrid interested in Diogo Costa
As reported by Bernabeu Digital, Costa is among the goalkeepers Real Madrid are interested in, as they look for potential replacements for Courtois.
The Portuguese international is regarded highly and has been endorsed personally by the club’s new goalkeeping coach, Nuno Santos.
Jose Mourinho is also said to be playing a key role in driving the club’s interest in Costa, who currently plies his trade for FC Porto.
At age of just 26, Costa has established himself as the firm number one for the Portugal national team, having already won almost 50 caps.
€40 million for Costa?
Acquiring the services of Diogo Costa, though, won’t be a walk in the park for Real Madrid.
The Portuguese international is valued at around €40 million, which the club might see as steep.
But given the experience and the quality Costa offers, Real Madrid do indeed see him as the ideal candidate to replace Courtois, if necessary.
Given that he is also liked by Mourinho and Santos, there is no reason why Real Madrid will be against paying that premium for the goalkeeper, especially if Courtois ends up leaving the club.
Real Madrid, though, are also open to finding an in-house replacement for Courtois, with Javi Navarro, in particular, making a lot of waves in the lower divisions.
That being said, everything indicates Courtois will sign a new contract so there shouldn’t be any immediate need for a replacement.
