The footballing world was in a state of collective, bewildered shock. The pundits didn't know whether to analyze it as a tactical masterstroke or a very expensive, very strange practical joke.
And in the Liverpool dressing room, it was the only topic of conversation. The place was buzzing, not with the usual pre-training focus, but with the giddy, disbelieving energy of a group of people who had just found out their favorite, most chaotic cartoon character was coming to life.
"I just... I don't understand the physics of it," Trent Alexander-Arnold was saying, a look of genuine, profound confusion on his face.
"So, Lautaro is the cost of Yamal, and Julián is the cost of... the paperwork? The 'facilitation fee'? Did we just acquire a World Cup-winning striker for the price of a very expensive postage stamp?"
