"When Los Blancos signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool for 10m euros (8.4m) in June, the fee was just to accelerate the move so he could be registered in time to play in the Club World Cup. That signing meant for the fourth time in five years Real Madrid had won the free transfer lottery after signing David Alaba in 2021, Antonio Rudiger in 2022, Kylian Mbappe in 2024 and Alexander-Arnold, who would have joined for free if Real had decided to wait, in 2025."
"It doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter who you played for before. It doesn't matter who your team was when you were growing up as a kid, this is it. This is the biggest thing you will ever do in your career. Take Trent for example - he was playing for his boyhood team [Liverpool]. He wouldn't have done this for any other club but Real Madrid. It's the allure, the grandeur."
Premier League clubs collectively spent €3.1bn during the summer transfer window. The Premier League's revenue and global popularity produce financial advantages that exceed those of many continental rivals. Real Madrid continued to exploit free transfers by recruiting several top players without large fees. The club paid €10m to register Trent Alexander-Arnold early for the Club World Cup, a move that accelerated an otherwise free arrival. That transfer marked the fourth time in five years Real Madrid secured elite talent via free moves, following David Alaba (2021), Antonio Rudiger (2022) and Kylian Mbappe (2024). Several of these recruits arrived from major European rivals.
Read at www.bbc.com
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