Highlights:
- Liverpool have been offered free agent Dani Carvajal, the former Real Madrid right-back, according to TEAMtalk, with Manchester City and Fulham also given the chance to sign him.
- Carvajal, 34, left Real Madrid this summer after 13 years and 29 trophies, including six Champions League titles, but Liverpool haven't made any firm commitment to a deal.
- Liverpool's non-homegrown squad quota is already full for this season, meaning even if they wanted him, registering Carvajal before January might not be possible.
Liverpool's right-back position has been unsettled for over a year, ever since Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid. Now, in an odd twist, a route back to stability may be sitting with one of the players Alexander-Arnold used to line up against for club and country. Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid's captain until this summer, has been offered to Liverpool on a free transfer. Whether they can actually take him is a separate question entirely.
Why does Liverpool even need this?
Because nothing at right-back has settled since Alexander-Arnold's exit. Liverpool signed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen as his direct replacement, but Frimpong has struggled to adapt to the Premier League. Conor Bradley, the other recognised option, has been out injured for months. Last season, Arne Slot leaned on Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones as makeshift right-backs, but Jones has since completed a £30m move to Inter Milan, closing off that option entirely.
Into that gap stepped Ronald Araujo, a natural centre-back signed on loan from Barcelona, who played right-back against Ipswich Town and helped Liverpool to a comfortable 2-0 win alongside fellow summer arrival Jeremy Jacquet. It wasn't a spectacular performance. It was a solid one, and solid is exactly what the position has been missing.
So why is Carvajal even being discussed?
Because his resume makes it impossible not to. Across 13 years at Real Madrid, Carvajal won 29 trophies, six Champions Leagues and four LaLiga titles among them, plus Euro 2024 with Spain. Very few available free agents anywhere in Europe carry that level of pedigree. Transfermarkt lists his market value at just €7 million, reflecting his age rather than what he's actually won, and intermediaries have been sounding out Liverpool, Manchester City and Fulham on his behalf since his Real Madrid contract expired in July.
| The situation, as it stands | |
|---|---|
| Carvajal's status | Free agent since July |
| Clubs offered the deal | Liverpool, Manchester City, Fulham |
| Carvajal's age | 34 |
| Trophies won at Real Madrid | 29, including 6 Champions Leagues |
| Liverpool's stated position | No firm commitment made |
| Registration obstacle | Non-homegrown quota already full |
