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Trent Alexander-Arnold looks set to leave Liverpool(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

Trent Alexander-Arnold will be forced to change his favourite shirt number if he moves from Liverpool to Real Madrid this summer.

Real have been courting Alexander-Arnold for months and want him to join his England team-mate Jude Bellingham in the Spanish capital to become the successor to Dani Carvajal at right-back.

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Real saw a £20million offer rejected in the January transfer window, but have now succeeded in agreeing a five-year deal worth around £12.5m-a-year for the 26-year-old.



One aspect that Alexander-Arnold will have to change is his shirt number, with his iconic No.66 not allowed in La Liga.

He has worn No.66 since starting out in the academy at Liverpool, despite wearing No,2, No.7, No.8 and No.10 for England.

But he will have to land on a new number, given that La Liga doesn’t allow shirt numbers higher than No.25, which corresponds with the maximum squad size registered for the domestic campaign.

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The strict rules have also prevented teams from retiring shirt numbers in honour of club legends such as Lionel Messi at Barcelona or Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

The only players allowed to wear shirt numbers over No.25 are youth players, who don’t have to be registered in the same way.

For example, Raul Asencio has been permitted to wear No.35 during this campaign for Real.

Currently, the only vacant shirt numbers available at Real are No.12, No.24 and No.25.

Alexander-Arnold is yet to make his decision public, but the wheels appear to be in motion for his departure, with Liverpool boss Arne Slot reportedly looking at Bayer Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong to replace him at right-back.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has always worn No.66 at Liverpool(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Speaking in October, Alexander-Arnold stated he wants to win the Ballon d’Or and be considered as the best right-back to ever play the game.