Arsene Wenger claims Trent Alexander-Arnold's impending move to Real Madrid shows era of big spending is ending as Los Blancos prepare for latest free transfer bargain

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has claimed Trent Alexander-Arnold's imminent move to Real Madrid reflects a growing trend of elite players no longer commanding huge transfer fees, instead running down their contracts to secure better deals for themselves elsewhere.

Alexander-Arnold recently confirmed his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of his contract and is expected to become Real Madrid's latest marquee free transfer signing, coming a year after Kylian Mbappe was snared from Paris Saint-Germain in similar circumstances.

Speaking on beIN SPORTS, Wenger said: "I believe it shows a new trend in the game that there is no transfer [fee], for the big big players; they go all at the end of their contract because the wages are so high. 

"If you want to buy Marcel [Desailly] now, you have to pay him so much money that you can't afford the transfer fee anymore so what do they do? 

"They say two years before the end of a contract: 'We want to buy you, we'll give you these wages, and we will try to make an offer. If it doesn't work, we will come back next year and if it doesn't work we'll take you for free', it's what they did with [Kylian] Mbappe.

"Real Madrid approached Alexander-Arnold a long, long time ago."

While Alexander-Arnold may already mentally be in Madrid where he'll link up with Mbappe and fellow England international Jude Bellingham, Liverpool still have three more Premier League games to see out the season. They take on Arsenal on Sunday before clashes with Brighton and Crystal Palace.