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Trent Alexander-Arnold might want to fire up Duolingo sooner rather than later. The Liverpool defender is poised to join Real Madrid in the summer having agreed personal terms with the Spanish giants on a five-year deal worth in excess of £220, 000-per-week. Alexander-Arnold, who has been at Liverpool since 2004 when he was six years old, is now set to become just the sixth player to make the journey from Anfield to the Santiago Bernabeu. The others who have made the switch include Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Jerzy Dudek, Michael Owen and Steve Mc Manaman. Mc Manaman was the first to move in that direction in 1999 having accumulated over 360 appearances for the Reds. However, when the 53-year-old first arrived, all was not as it seemed at the Spanish giants amid mass internal turmoil. Madrid great Raul claimed the dressing room was a 'cesspit of lies, treachery and whispers' and even stated he felt 'sorry' for Mc Manaman joining when he did. But the Englishman won the Champions League in his very first season with Madrid as they beat Valencia in the final. Another Champions League crown and two La Liga titles followed before Mc Manaman departed for Manchester City in 2003. Having experienced the ruthless nature of what being a player for Real Madrid entails, Mc Manaman knows what Alexander-Arnold must prepare himself for if and when the move is completed. However, in an interview with ESPN, Mc Manaman believed Alexander-Arnold's most immediate concern will be a cultural one rather than football-related. “The one thing, if he does go, which is the most important thing because he is a Liverpool player until Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold or Real Madrid say anything, " Mc Manaman said. “The simple thing would be to learn the language as quickly as possible. ” When asked why it is so important, Mc Manaman said: “When I was at Madrid, not necessarily at the club, but in the city nobody spoke English. “It’s a lot more open and more people speak English in the capital, but if you want to get on with the Brazilians, the people, if you want to get things done, you need to know the language. “Of course you can have people helping you, and people will help you, but I don’t see the point in going to a new country, a new city, learning a new lifestyle and not learning the language at all. “I think you have to throw yourself in wholeheartedly. ” One player who will no doubt do his utmost to help Alexander-Arnold settle in right away is fellow England international Jude Bellingham. The pair are incredibly close, so much so Alexander-Arnold revealed in April 2024 Bellingham was his best pal in the England camp. With Alexander-Arnold on the brink of joining the 21-year-old in the Spanish capital, expect the duo to become even closer. Who knows, they may even start sharing Spanish lessons. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

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