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Liverpool right-back signing offered for free, but a squad rule could block it

Dani Carvajal is available after leaving Real Madrid, and Liverpool are one of three clubs considering him, even as a makeshift solution already playing at right-back quietly does the job

Liverpool right-back signing offered for free, but a squad rule could block it

Dani Carvajal

Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Nayana Ashok
By Nayana Ashok Sep 08, 2026
Nayana Ashok
Nayana Ashok is a content writer with over five years of experience creating engaging, SEO-optimised content across various topics, including lifestyle, health and wellness, technology, community-focused stories, and business trends. She holds an MPhil, MA, and BA in English Literature from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and brings a strong academic grounding in language and storytelling to her work. Her writing combines creative flair with clarity and structure, enabling her to craft insightful blogs, feature articles, and digital content tailored for diverse audiences. Known for her adaptability and attention to detail, she has worked on editorial and branded content projects that demand creativity and precision. Nayana’s areas of interest include cultural narratives, emerging technologies, health communication, and socially impactful reporting. She is particularly drawn to stories that bridge community experiences with broader societal themes.
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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 statusFree agent since July
Clubs offered the dealLiverpool, Manchester City, Fulham
Carvajal's age34
Trophies won at Real Madrid29, including 6 Champions Leagues
Liverpool's stated positionNo firm commitment made
Registration obstacleNon-homegrown quota already full

What's actually stopping Liverpool from just signing him?

Premier League squad rules. Clubs can register a maximum of 25 senior players, with no more than 17 of those non-homegrown, and Liverpool have already reached that non-homegrown limit for the current season. Even if Liverpool decided today that they wanted Carvajal, there's a real chance they couldn't officially register him until the January transfer window opens, turning what looks like a simple free transfer into a logistical puzzle before it's even a footballing decision.

What's happening elsewhere in this window?

Arsenal are keeping tabs on Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney as a potential backup option behind Kai Havertz, should Viktor Gyökeres leave the club. Toney, 30, has started the Saudi Pro League season strongly, with six goals in five matches, but Arsenal's interest is described as monitoring rather than active pursuit for now, a much earlier stage than Liverpool's Carvajal situation.
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