rent Alexander-Arnold to Leave Liverpool at End of Season
England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has announced he will leave Premier League champions Liverpool when his contract expires on 30 June, bringing an end to a 20-year association with the club.
The 26-year-old, who joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of six, confirmed on social media that he will seek a new challenge after two decades at Anfield. He is widely expected to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.
"After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season," Alexander-Arnold wrote. "This is easily the hardest decision I've ever made in my life."
Alexander-Arnold is one of three key Liverpool players whose contracts were set to expire this summer. While Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have both recently signed new deals, the Liverpool-born defender has opted for a fresh start elsewhere.
Since making his senior debut in 2016, Alexander-Arnold has made 352 appearances and scored 23 goals for the club. His time at Liverpool has been marked by significant success, including two Premier League titles — the most recent under new manager Arne Slot — a Champions League crown in 2019, the FA Cup in 2022, and two League Cups.
"This club has been my whole life – my whole world – for 20 years," he added. "From the academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all.
"But I’ve never known anything else, and this decision is about experiencing something new, stepping outside my comfort zone, and pushing myself both professionally and personally."
Liverpool paid tribute to the defender, saying he "will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for his contribution during a sustained period of success."
Speculation over Alexander-Arnold’s future had been ongoing throughout the season, with manager Arne Slot regularly fielding questions about contract negotiations. While Salah and Van Dijk committed their futures to the club in April, Alexander-Arnold chose to wait until the league title was secured before going public with his decision.
"Obviously there's been a lot of noise around what the decision was going to be," he said. "Some will say I should have said something sooner, others might think I waited for the right moment.
"But for me, the focus was always on football. While we were in the title race and fighting for trophies, I didn’t want to create any distractions. Now that we’ve won the league and had time to celebrate, I feel it's the right time to be honest with the fans."
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