Following recent experimentation with his positioning — he was given more opportunity to drift into midfield and help with build-up in central areas during Jurgen Klopp’s final year in charge at Liverpool — Alexander-Arnold largely returned to a more traditional full-back role last season.

Managerial debuts await Xabi Alonso and Alessio Lisci on Tuesday as Real Madrid and Osasuna open their league campaigns against each other. With La Liga kicking off this weekend and Barcelona already looking to continue their dominance from last season,

Jarrell Quansah left for Bayer Leverkusen for about £30m before any add-ons kick in. Caoimhin Kelleher's Brentford switch brought in £12.5m, which could rise further. Trent Alexander-Arnold's switch to Real Madrid brought in a fee of about £8m in order for Liverpool to release the defender early, though Madrid disputed the story.

Ibrahima Konaté is the favorite in the polls to reinforce Real Madrid's defensive line. The Frenchman's contract with Liverpool ends in 2026 and he could

Éder Militão is entering his prime but enters 2025–26 off the back of two devastating knee injuries. Center back looks set to be a priority position of need this time next year, and Konaté would be quite the coup if he fails to strike an agreement with the scarred Reds.

Real Madrid are into the Club World Cup quarter-final after beating Juventus 2-0 thanks to Gonzalo Garcia's headed winner.