You did not need to be a qualified body-language expert to work out where the Trent Alexander-Arnold saga was heading and one episode, set in the bowels of Anfield on a November evening, gave the game away somewhat.
It was nothing Alexander-Arnold did, but more the facial expressions of his good pal and soon-to-be club team-mate Jude Bellingham.
The England superstar was talking in the media room to preview Real Madrid’s visit to Liverpool – the Premier League champions recorded an emphatic 2-0 win – and Bellingham was asked for his thoughts on Alexander-Arnold’s future.
He smirked and then looked down at the table to compose himself before giving a media-trained answer: ‘I’ll be playing alongside him next year… for England. He’s a Liverpool player and it would be disrespectful to talk about (a move). He’s a good mate. Let’s see what happens.’
You could tell in his eye that Bellingham knew the direction of travel then, as did pretty much most of the room.
It has been the worst-kept secret in football and Mail Sport reported that Real Madrid were extremely confident they would sign him six months ago. Nothing has changed since then.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has announced that he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham tactfully avoided questions about his friend in November but his response indicated the direction of travel
The Scouser ends his 20-year association with the club, having won two Premier League titles and a Champions League, among other prizes
Liverpool fans clung on to hope that a U-turn could occur but all the noise was that it was a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ Alexander-Arnold was pulling on the famous white jersey of Real Madrid and doing kick-ups at his Santiago Bernabeu unveiling.
Supporters would examine every letter of every word Alexander-Arnold posted on social media – he has been quiet online this season, a clue in itself – and all became body-language experts. If he was smiling, he must be thinking of changing his mind, according to fans online.
But realistically, his mind has been made up for a considerable time.
Mail Sport understands that Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool stopped negotiating over a new deal at the Anfield club in March of this year.
Real Madrid could not legally enter talks over a contract until New Year’s Day but their interest had been clear for months before that.
The fact they made an approach to Liverpool on New Year’s Eve to sign him for around £20million in the January transfer window – it was a testing of the waters rather than an official bid – made it obvious. They knew they could tempt him to join.
Sources in Spain have talked about the deal being ‘done and dusted’ for months now, with Real Madrid top brass telling local reporters as much last February. Yet they wanted to respect Liverpool and could not have it leaking out as a done deal.
That is why now has been chosen as the time to confirm Alexander-Arnold’s exit. The league title is won and this will give him a chance to have a proper send-off at Anfield in the last two home games against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Alexander-Arnold lapped up the acclaim of the Anfield crown when the Reds were confirmed as Premier League champions last week
In recent weeks, Reds fans have clung to hopes of a late U-turn by the 26-year-old full back
Whether that will be a warm farewell or not remains to be seen. Certainly, match-going fans have been supportive of Alexander-Arnold throughout this saga but they could turn on him for leaving his boyhood club.
So why and how did he reach the decision to leave?
It certainly has not been easy. Reports suggesting he wanted the same sky-high salaries as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are said to be wildly wide of the mark. His decision was never driven by money and both parties were realistic on this.
Alexander-Arnold did not like the comparisons to Michael Owen and Steve McManaman, who both left Liverpool for Real Madrid two decades ago, as his situation is different: he has won everything there is to win at Liverpool whereas those two had to leave to chase trophies.
He spent time weighing up the pros and cons of an exit and saw the fact he was next in line for the Reds captaincy as the pinnacle for a local lad.
But the allure of Real Madrid was just too much. To use Bellingham’s words: ‘When Real Madrid comes knocking, the whole house shakes. It is hard not to open it and to accept it.’
Florentino Perez came to the door and Alexander-Arnold invited him in for a cuppa.
Speaking to Mail Sport earlier in the year, Owen explained to us: ‘I had the opportunity to do what Trent’s doing (leaving for Madrid). I chose that because I thought that’d be an amazing experience. I wanted to give it a go.
‘You lose a little bit of control after that, you’re almost a trading commodity, you’re out there and if you’re doing well or not doing well, then you’re not that attached and ingrained to a club like you used to be.
‘But then again, the positives of going to Real Madrid are there for all to see. Life experience… We only live once. Living in a different country, learning a language, having a different climate, different food, all these things are quite incredible.
‘Playing with one of the biggest teams in the world, or probably the biggest team in the world could be quite tempting.
‘If you want to have a look at the pros and cons… Jamie Carragher is loved more than me at Liverpool because of his loyalty, but I probably had experiences, met more people and had more of a life experience that he didn’t have.
‘It just depends on what floats your boat. He’s certainly got to be happy and content with the way the team is and the trophies that he can win at Liverpool. But does he want a lifestyle change?’
The lifestyle change is up there with his primary reasons but the main one is to embark on a new challenge in his professional capacity.
He has vocalised his desire to win personal accolades such as the Ballon d’Or and playing at Real Madrid gives a good platform to do that.
Bellingham, of course, played a role in tempting him to the Bernabeu. The pair were pictured on rollercoasters together last summer – with Alexander-Arnold signing autographs for a young Real fan – and surely the topic came up.
But now the worst-kept secret in football is out, Alexander-Arnold will be the latest Galactico, and Anfield will wave adios to the Scouse heartbeat of their team.
