Xabi Alonso’s departure from Liverpool is close to being sealed after Real Madrid agreed to meet Liverpool’s asking price.
The Spaniards have indicated they will go to a fee in the region of £30million to secure Alonso the move he has been craving all summer.
Anfield officials met with Real executive director-general José Ángel Sánchez yesterday and they stepped up their bid to finally bring an end to their pursuit of the playmaker.
Real capitalised on the fact that Liverpool were in Spain last night and held the talks in the team hotel in Barcelona prior to the 3-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Espanyol.
Although a deal was not struck, sufficient progress was made to convince Madrid that a final agreement is close.
Rafael Benitez has insisted all along that he will not accept a knockdown offer for the 27-year-old despite Alonso having indicated that he is ready to leave Anfield.
And the Liverpool manager’s patience appears to be paying off as Real finally got closer to the kind of bid he is looking for.
With Roma star Alberto Aquilani already lined up as Alonso’s successor Benitez will be keen for Real to put their money where their mouth has been and finally bring an end to the transfer saga.
The chances of that happening appear to have been boosted after reports in Spain suggested that the Bernabeu coffers will shortly be swollen to the tune of £18m due to the impending sale of Dutchman Wesley Sneijder to Inter Milan.
One of the main sticking points in Real’s pursuit of Alonso in recent weeks has been their insistence that they did not have the ready cash to meet Benitez’s demands following a spending spree that has seen them spend in excess of £165m on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.
Benitez has always remained adamant that this is not his nor Liverpool’s problem however and has continually made it clear that unless his value of Alonso is met then he will not be allowed to leave.
With the two parties now edging closer to an agreement and with a channel of communication now flowing freely again between Anfield and the Bernabeu it is looking increasingly likely that a deal will be struck in the coming days.
The Spaniards have indicated they will go to a fee in the region of £30million to secure Alonso the move he has been craving all summer.
Anfield officials met with Real executive director-general José Ángel Sánchez yesterday and they stepped up their bid to finally bring an end to their pursuit of the playmaker.
Real capitalised on the fact that Liverpool were in Spain last night and held the talks in the team hotel in Barcelona prior to the 3-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Espanyol.
Although a deal was not struck, sufficient progress was made to convince Madrid that a final agreement is close.
Rafael Benitez has insisted all along that he will not accept a knockdown offer for the 27-year-old despite Alonso having indicated that he is ready to leave Anfield.
And the Liverpool manager’s patience appears to be paying off as Real finally got closer to the kind of bid he is looking for.
With Roma star Alberto Aquilani already lined up as Alonso’s successor Benitez will be keen for Real to put their money where their mouth has been and finally bring an end to the transfer saga.
The chances of that happening appear to have been boosted after reports in Spain suggested that the Bernabeu coffers will shortly be swollen to the tune of £18m due to the impending sale of Dutchman Wesley Sneijder to Inter Milan.
One of the main sticking points in Real’s pursuit of Alonso in recent weeks has been their insistence that they did not have the ready cash to meet Benitez’s demands following a spending spree that has seen them spend in excess of £165m on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.
Benitez has always remained adamant that this is not his nor Liverpool’s problem however and has continually made it clear that unless his value of Alonso is met then he will not be allowed to leave.
With the two parties now edging closer to an agreement and with a channel of communication now flowing freely again between Anfield and the Bernabeu it is looking increasingly likely that a deal will be struck in the coming days.
No comments:
Post a Comment