Jamie Carragher has said what he believes Liverpool should set as the price for Real Madrid to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of the Club World Cup this summer.
Alexander-Arnold announced earlier this month that he will leave Liverpool at the end of his contract on the back of the Reds wrapping up their second Premier League title.
Real Madrid have reportedly agreed terms with the England international, but the Spanish giants want Liverpool to release Alexander-Arnold before his contract expires on June 30, so that he can play in the all-new Club World Cup, starting on June 14.
But Carragher has urged his former club to ask Madrid for a £10m fee if they want them to rip Alexander-Arnold’s contract up early, given how much money Los Blancos could earn through the tournament.
Carragher said on Sky Sports: “You’re announcing it now to give Real Madrid the opportunity to maybe sign you for the Club World Cup, so that’s what I was talking about a couple of weeks ago.”
Neville then interjected: “Would you take like a million quid if you were Liverpool for the Club World Cup?”
Carragher then replied: “Er, I think I’d want more than a million quid.”
Neville then further asked: “But would you take, would you take whatever price it would be to let him go and play in that tournament?”
Carragher replied: “I think if it was about five or ten million quid, because I think I could get, no, hang on, hang on.”
Sky Sports host David Jones then asked: “What is it, a hundred million to win the thing?”
Carragher replied: “Exactly. Have you seen how much money it is to win it?”
Jones then asked: “So you could help a major European rival by helping them win the thing?”
Carragher said: “Right, well, but if they’re going to win a hundred million and he’s going to help them, because don’t forget, they haven’t got any right back. The right back to play in there is not a right back. So it’s not just like bringing a player in. Give us ten million quid.”
Neville concluded: “Well, the price has just been set, mate.”
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has encouraged Liverpool to stand firm because Real Madrid are “not a charity”.
“Good for them – why shouldn’t they? Do Liverpool want to be a contributing factor to Real Madrid being crowned in inaugural Club World Cup champions?” Jordan said.
“He’d keep you to the contract if there wasn’t an alternative. He wouldn’t be saying: ‘I’ve finished my last game so I don’t need to be paid up to June 30’. Because the circumstances have changed and he’s already got himself an outcome and Madrid want this outcome.
“If you go to this tournament, what do you get if you win it? £100 million and if Liverpool give them a player to help them with that, they’ve just given Madrid £100 million to make sure Madrid can maintain their dominance in European football so why? They’re not a charity.
“Of course, they are (a direct rival). Who are going to be playing in the Champions League next year? It would be commercial sense. So what. Trent Alexander-Arnold has achieved what he wanted to achieve and you can believe the benefits of Trent Alexander going on a free have landed where… in his pay packet.”