Real Madrid’s decision to pry defender Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his Liverpool contract one month before it expires could pay dividends at the Club World Cup.

The Spanish club will pay Liverpool a reported fee of up to 10 million euros ($11 million) to get the England right back on June 1 — rather than for free at the end of the month.

That means the 26-year-old Alexander-Arnold — who has agreed on a six-year contract through June 2031 — will be able to play for Xabi Alonso’s team at the Club World Cup in the United States starting in mid-June, Madrid announced Friday.

The prize for the Club World Cup champion? Up to $125 million.

“Welcome @trentarnold66!” fellow England international Jude Bellingham wrote on Instagram about his new Madrid teammate, accompanied by a photo of the pair.

Madrid opens its Club World Cup group stage against Saudi club Al-Hilal on June 18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Alexander-Arnold had been criticized by some Liverpool fans for having let his contract run down — meaning he could leave as a free agent.

But since Alexander-Arnold was still under contract with the Premier League champions until the end of June, Liverpool was able to extract a fee for letting him go early.

Madrid and the other 31 teams playing in the Club World Cup can make early signings under FIFA-approved special trading windows from June 1-10 and again June 27-July 3.

Liverpool, which did not qualify for the Club World Cup, confirmed it accepted Madrid’s offer for Alexander-Arnold and that it “will receive a fee for his services, with the deal to be concluded once the window opens on June 1.” Neither club specified the amount.

Alexander-Arnold had announced earlier this month that he’d be leaving his boyhood club — with Madrid the expected destination.

By its own high standards, Madrid had a disappointing season, finishing runner-up to rival Barcelona despite having signed France star Kylian Mbappe last summer. Madrid hopes that Alexander-Arnold will reinforce a defense that was hammered by injuries this season as the team failed to win a title. The team’s announcement noted that he “can also play in midfield.”

Liverpool quickly secured a replacement for the departing Trent Alexander-Arnold by signing Netherlands right back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

Frimpong returns to England on what Liverpool called a “long-term contract” six years after leaving Manchester City, which he joined at age 9. He spent nine years there before joining Celtic without ever playing in the Premier League.

“It went quite easy. Liverpool came and said they had interest, and obviously for me it was a no-brainer,” Frimpong said in a Liverpool statement.

Frimpong said he told his agents: “Whatever you guys do, just get this done.”

He is widely expected to be joined at Liverpool soon by his Leverkusen teammate, star attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old German has reportedly turned down Bayern Munich.

The 24-year-old Frimpong has blossomed after arriving in 2021 at Leverkusen, where he has been playing as an attacking wing back under Xabi Alonso. He was one of the German team’s star players in its unbeaten Bundesliga campaign in the 2023-24 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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