Saturday, June 13, 2009

Real Madrid Offer Liverpool Heinze And Robben For Xabi Alonso


Real Madrid have been active in the transfer market this past month, and things are not likely to change any time soon, should the latest reports be believed.

According to British tabloid The Sun, Los Blancos president Florentino Perez has offered Arjen Robben to Liverpool in a direct swap for Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Perez, who is known to be a big fan of Alonso, has already offered £18 million for the holding midfielder, but Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, turned down the bid. The report states that Liverpool want £27 million for Alonso, but Perez is not keen to splash out more money after spending £142 million on Kaka and Ronaldo earlier this week.

Dutchman Robben is also valued at £27 million, and Perez is confident that Benitez will accept a direct swap for the wing-wizard, without the inclusion of cash in the deal.

The stumbling block of the deal could be Robben's injury record, as the Netherlands international has been struggling with fitness ever since he moved to the Bernabeu two years ago.

The Sun also states that, should Liverpool decline such an offer, then Perez will be willing to offer Gabriel Heinze plus £18 million for Alonso instead. This deal is more realistic, since Benitez tried to capture the Argentinean stopper two years ago while he was playing at Manchester United.

The cold relations between Alonso and Benitez could be an important factor in the deal, with the two clashing heads earlier last summer. Also, Benitez is known to be a scavenging the market for an experienced left-back, and with his experience in the Premier League, Heinze fits the profile perfectly.

Both Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze have declared their wish to remain at Madrid, but the final decision may not be up to them.

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