Alexander-Arnold could have joined FC Barcelona: Why was his signing not finalized?

Everything seems to indicate that Real Madrid will acquire the services of the 26-year-old right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold. One of the moves that, if finalized, would be one of the great 'bargains' of the market, as the Madrid team would incorporate into their ranks one of the players currently being considered a serious candidate for the title of best right-back in the world.

At the same time, the whites would finalize this operation without having to pay any transfer fee. This is because the versatile English player will finish his contract with Liverpool on June 30 and does not plan to renew, so Real Madrid would acquire him as a free agent.

Alexander-Arnold could have joined Barcelona, why was his signing not finalized?

Recently, information has emerged suggesting that Trent Alexander-Arnold could have arrived much earlier in Spanish football, although not with the 'Viking' team, but curiously with their fierce rival, FC Barcelona. According to reports from 'Què t'hi Jugues!' on SER, it was revealed that the Barcelona team was seriously interested in signing the full-back in recent seasons.

The mentioned source claims that Alexander-Arnold was on the list of signings considered by FC Barcelona during the time when Xavi Hernández was the coach and Jordi Cruyff was the sporting director. It was even mentioned that Deco, the current sporting director of Barcelona, met with the player's representative, his older brother, to explore the option of carrying out this operation.

However, the Spanish media emphasizes that the negotiation did not come to fruition due to the complicated financial situation of FC Barcelona. It is important to remember that, being one of the best right-backs in the world, the cost of acquiring Alexander-Arnold represented a significant outlay for the Catalan club's finances, especially if it involved any type of transfer.

One only needs to consider the rumored amounts regarding the salary that the full-back would earn in his new stage at Real Madrid, which talks about €15 million gross per season. If confirmed, these numbers undoubtedly give an estimate of what Barcelona would have had to spend to sign him, which would represent a heavy economic impact on the team's salary structure.

The emergence of Koundé as a right-back was key for Barcelona to abandon the signing of the English defender

Moreover, it cannot be overlooked that FC Barcelona was fortunate to see Jules Koundé accept to become a regular right-back and fully adapt to that position. The Frenchman has proven to be one of the best in the world in his role, being very solid defensively and showing increasing skills in the offensive aspect.

Additionally, he has integrated exceptionally with the team's young star, Lamine Yamal, thus eliminating the need for the Blaugrana club to acquire a starting right-back. Nevertheless, the option of adding a player who can complement the position is being considered, and several options are currently being evaluated in Barcelona, such as Marc Pubill from UD Almería or even Andrei Rațiu from Rayo Vallecano.