“Most people would probably think if it’s a free agent that’s making a move then surely the negotiations are more straightforward? Well, not so, it actually can be a little bit more complicated because the player is entitled to a signing-on fee and the level of that signing-on fee is subjective, it depends on the viewpoint of both sides.
“Then you’ve got all the very complex things which Real Madrid and Alexander-Arnold’s representatives are very used to discussing like appearance fees, loyalty bonuses and image rights, so there’s an awful lot of detail to go through and that’s why this is taking some time.
“There’s no real rush on either side because Alexander-Arnold is still under contract with Liverpool until the end of the season.
“I think you have to realise here as well that there’s a bit of negotiating point – neither side would want to suggest that they’ve agreed and they’re happy with what’s on the table if there’s still more negotiation to be done and so that’s why it’s complex, why it’s taking a bit of time.
“Liverpool and Real Madrid fans would like to get an answer. I’m sure Alexander-Arnold’s desperate to get his future sorted out but with the lawyers involved and the contractual issues still to be addressed, there’s going to have to be a bit of patience on all sides.
“You also have to consider he’s been at the club for almost 21 years now, having joined the Liverpool academy at the age of six. He’s a Scouser, he’s a Liverpool fan and the club is very much in his blood, so how he negotiates his exit from Anfield is very important to Alexander-Arnold.
“He doesn’t want to alienate the fans who he’s been very close to for his entire Liverpool career. He’s one of their own, he’s come through the academy to become one of the most important Liverpool players of recent times, so he doesn’t want to damage that legacy.
“There’s an awful lot of media interest in this story, a lot of rumour out there, a lot of reporting of this story. None of that is going down particularly well with Alexander-Arnold or his representatives who want to try and make this as clean and as amicable of a break as possible.
“It’s not inevitable that Alexander-Arnold will leave Anfield and go to the Bernabeu. It’s what he would like to happen, it’s what Real Madrid would like to happen and negotiations are positive and ongoing, but the deal isn’t done yet.”
