Real Madrid is keen to register Trent Alexander-Arnold in time for for the start of this summer’s revamped Club World Cup. A new 32-team version of the competition will take place between June 15 and July 13, with Madrid among the favorites to lift the trophy.
Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool contract is due to expire on June 30, and it was widely reported on Tuesday that he has decided to join Madrid as a free agent in the off-season.
Owing to their eliminations from the FA Cup and the Champions League, Liverpool‘s season will certainly finish with its final Premier League game, against Crystal Palace at Anfield on May 25 — more than three weeks before Madrid’s opening Club World Cup game versus Al-Hilal in Miami on June 18.
As it stands, Alexander-Arnold will still be contracted to Liverpool by that point, but Madrid is keen to free Alexander-Arnold from his Liverpool at the start of June.
FIFA announced last year that that its member associations which have clubs competing in the Club World Cup (for example, La Liga for Real Madrid, or the Premier League for Manchester City) will have the option to open an exceptional registration window from June 1 to June 10.
A FIFA statement said: “Under the regulations, the FIFA Member Associations of the clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup will have the option of opening an exceptional registration window from 1 to 10 June 2025 (for all their affiliated clubs) prior to the start of the competition. The decision as to whether or not to open an additional window remains at the full discretion of each FIFA Member Association concerned.”
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As things stand, the Premier League’s summer transfer window will open on June 12, while La Liga’s summer transfer window will open on July 1. However, if both the Premier League and La Liga decide to take advantage of the opportunity to open an exceptional registration window for a 10-day period at the beginning of June, and Madrid and Liverpool can reach an agreement, Alexander-Arnold could join the Spanish club in time for the start of the Club World Cup.
If an agreement is not reached, Alexander-Arnold will be free to join Madrid from July 1, at which point the Spanish club could add him to its squad for the knockout stage of the competition. If Madrid wins its group, which includes Al-Hilal, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg, the Spanish club will play its first knockout game on July 1, which theoretically Alexander-Arnold would be eligible to play in.
The FIFA statement continued: “Following the deadline for the submission of the squad lists, as some players’ contracts will expire mid-competition, participating clubs may replace players during a restricted in-competition period from 27 June to 3 July 2025 within a set limit and according to specific limitations, including the fact that a ‘standard’ registration window must be open for the club at the time. However, the objective is to encourage clubs and players whose contracts are expiring to find an appropriate solution to facilitate the players’ participation.”
