Real Madrid target Trent Alexander-Arnold and three other Premier League stars to start ambitious transfer era

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Real Madrid are already planning their next European era, as they are aiming to sign Rodri, Trent Alexander-Arnold and either William Saliba or Cristian Romero.

The ambitious scale comes after a half-decade of financial realignment, where the Spanish champions targeted younger players in order to build a squad for the future. The strategy was partly influenced by the feeling it was getting increasingly difficult to economically compete with the Premier League and state-owned clubs.

This summer's signing of Kylian Mbappe nevertheless marked the start of a new era where the club has been willing to assert its financial power, thanks to a number of recent changes. One is how successful the strategy of targeting younger players was, having brought two Champions Leagues over three seasons in 2022 and 2024.

That has restored Madrid's economic strength and only improved their international commercial profile, to go with how the refurbishment of the Bernabeu is planned to make it a lucrative money-spinning European events centre like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Madrid may be further flush with cash next summer if Fifa's newly expanded Club World Cup goes as planned, and the prize money reaches €80m.

There is also a belief that other events could aid their situation. Rodri has become a primary target, especially with the way that he is now the central figure of the Spanish national team, who Madrid are conscious of maintaining their links to.

While there is a belief that the midfielder eventually wants to return to Spain to play for the club while in his prime, the Bernabeu hierarchy are keenly monitoring the progress of the City hearing. City insist on their innocence.

Alexander-Arnold has meanwhile not yet signed a new contract with Liverpool, and will be available on a free next summer if that remains the case. It is known the right-back has been constantly talking to Jude Bellingham about Madrid, out of a friendship that has developed in the England national team. Alexander-Arnold is known to be assessing how things proceed with the post-Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield.

Madrid are meanwhile keenly interested in Saliba as the future of their defence, although there is an awareness right now that he could be the most difficult to sign due to Arsenal's burgeoning strength. That has ensured Romero has been made a secondary option, which would also fit with an existing business relationship between Tottenham and Madrid.

Such a summer would increase the age profile of Madrid, after years where they made a virtue of having the next best talents on the planet. Some within the club have even commented internally about how Mbappe represented such a departure from recent strategy. Perez's say ultimately has sway over everything, and his insistence that Madrid should always have the best players in the world is well known.