Barcelona tried to hijack Trent Alexander-Arnold's transfer to Real Madrid: Report

The England international is closing in on a move to Los Blancos.

Earlier in the season, Barcelona spoke with the Liverpool stars’ agents in an attempt to sabotage Trent Alexander-Arnold’s transfer to Real Madrid.

By meeting the Liverpool right-back’s agents earlier in the season, Barcelona reportedly tried to sabotage Alexander-Arnold’s summer transfer to Real Madrid (via SPORT).

For a few years, Alexander-Arnold has been said to be of interest to the Catalans, who have been aggressively seeking a new right-back to strengthen their backline for the upcoming campaign.

Alexander-Arnold hasn’t signed a new deal with Liverpool and is nearing the end of his current one. The competition to recruit the England international on a free transfer has been dominated by Real Madrid for months.

David Ornstein of The Athletic and transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano both verified earlier this week that Los Blancos were close to signing the Reds star this summer, with just the last few elements, such as contract duration and salary, needing to be worked out.

It turns out, though, that the 26-year-old might have instead joined Barcelona, Madrid’s enduring adversaries. The Catalans were intrigued in signing him when Xavi and Jordi Cruyff were still with the team, according to Cadena SER’s source.

In contrast, their most recent attempt occurred earlier in the season when Barca sporting director Deco met with Alexander-Arnold’s representatives to discuss the possibility of signing him this summer.

However, the England international’s transfer to Catalonia was considered improbable due to the Blaugrana’s widely known financial problems.

Alexander-Arnold is expected to sign a five-year contract worth €15 million (£13 million/$16 million) each season at the Santiago Bernabeu after leaving Anfield, as has been all but confirmed.

Arne Slot’s preparations for the final nine Premier League games will heavily rely on the full-back. On Wednesday, April 2, Liverpool, who currently lead the standings by a healthy 12-point margin, will take on local rivals Everton in what should be an exciting Merseyside rivalry.

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