Trent Alexander-Arnold was due to join Real Madrid on a free transfer before they paid £8.4m to sign him in time for the Club World Cup
If 'the best things in life are free' then clearly nobody told the 20 Premier League clubs, who spent an eye-watering £3.1bn this summer.
The top tier of English football is in a unique position. As the Premier League's popularity and profits have grown, the money awarded to clubs competing in it far outweighs that of their European counterparts.
But Real Madrid once again proved this summer that money can only do so much.
There can be little doubt that when it comes to acquiring world-class talent for nothing or next to nothing, the Spanish giants are in a league of their own.
