Alexander-Arnold: Real Madrid always next step after Liverpool

Real Madrid presented England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold to the press at the club's Valdebebas training ground on Thursday.

Alexander-Arnold is the club's second signing for the summer ahead of the Club World Cup and will wear the number 12 shirt next season.

Manchester City's Erling Haaland (L) is chased down by Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool in Manchester, Britain, on Nov. 25, 2023. (Xinhua)

He impressed in his conference, part of which he gave in Spanish, saying that he had "known for a long time that if I was ever going to leave Liverpool then the only club I would leave them for would be Real Madrid."

Alexander Arnold cost Real Madrid 10 million euros for Liverpool to release him a month early from his contract, after the defender ran down his deal with the Premier League champions.

"You get to a point when you have to make a decision - that wasn't an easy decision because I have been there (Liverpool) for so long, but you have to make a decision and in my mind, I've made the right one," he said.

The defender admitted he had discussed the move with his England teammate Jude Bellingham, who has just completed his second season at the Spanish club.

"Yeah, we spoke," admitted Alexander Arnold, explaining it was "the kind of conversation you have as players and as friends."

"You want to know what it is like, of course. In the national team, he is the only player that knew what it was like to be at Real Madrid, so everyone was asking questions."

"It was a huge opportunity for me, it felt like it was the right time for me as well - a chance for me to go and do that," he commented.

The Real Madrid team held its final training session after the act and flies to the United States on Friday to prepare for its opening match, which is against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in Miami on June 18th.