Xabi Alonso's move from Liverpool to Real Madrid appears to be imminent after a source at the Merseyside club confirmed that the Spanish midfielder had submitted a transfer request.
The 28 year-old, who arrived for training on Thursday, expects to hold talks with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as Real are believed to be preparing a new, improved bid.
Alonso had previously only told Benitez verbally that he wanted to leave the club.
Now if Madrid produce an offer of at least £28 million, the chances are that Benitez will agree to sell the man he signed from Real Sociedad for £10 million in August 2004.
Alonso flew back from Spain on Thursday, having spent three days with his family in San Sebastian, determined to end a summer-long saga over his future.
Benitez has defiantly refused to let Alonso leave, and Real's only official bid of £24million was rejected. But a formal transfer request changes the situation.
Since that first bid, both parties have been engaged in a war of words over the deal, with Real president Florentino Perez maintaining that Liverpool's valuation was much too high.
Benitez had talks with Alonso during Liverpool's Far East tour last week, and tried to convince the player to stay, underlining the fans' delirious response to the player in Bangkok and Singapore as a reason to think again.
But on Liverpool's return to the UK, Benitez told Alonso that he wanted the uncertainty around the player's future to be sorted out before the weekend, one way or another.
Now the deadlock looks like being broken, just 24 hours after the two clubs agreed a £3.5 million fee for Anfield full-back Alvaro Arbeloa to move to Real.
By the time that the Alonso fee is in Liverpool's bank, and also £4 million for Andrea Dossena's move to Napoli, Benitez will have around £40 million to spend on the transfer market.
Benitez has already raised around £8 million from the sales of Arbeloa, Sebastian Leto, Jack Hobbs and Paul Anderson.
He has been linked with Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole, Hull defender Michael Turner, Valencia's David Silva and Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
Benitez is aware that the new Premier League season is little more than a fortnight away, and he needs to move quickly to find a replacement for Alonso otherwise the club's preparation for the campaign will be disrupted.
The 28 year-old, who arrived for training on Thursday, expects to hold talks with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as Real are believed to be preparing a new, improved bid.
Alonso had previously only told Benitez verbally that he wanted to leave the club.
Now if Madrid produce an offer of at least £28 million, the chances are that Benitez will agree to sell the man he signed from Real Sociedad for £10 million in August 2004.
Alonso flew back from Spain on Thursday, having spent three days with his family in San Sebastian, determined to end a summer-long saga over his future.
Benitez has defiantly refused to let Alonso leave, and Real's only official bid of £24million was rejected. But a formal transfer request changes the situation.
Since that first bid, both parties have been engaged in a war of words over the deal, with Real president Florentino Perez maintaining that Liverpool's valuation was much too high.
Benitez had talks with Alonso during Liverpool's Far East tour last week, and tried to convince the player to stay, underlining the fans' delirious response to the player in Bangkok and Singapore as a reason to think again.
But on Liverpool's return to the UK, Benitez told Alonso that he wanted the uncertainty around the player's future to be sorted out before the weekend, one way or another.
Now the deadlock looks like being broken, just 24 hours after the two clubs agreed a £3.5 million fee for Anfield full-back Alvaro Arbeloa to move to Real.
By the time that the Alonso fee is in Liverpool's bank, and also £4 million for Andrea Dossena's move to Napoli, Benitez will have around £40 million to spend on the transfer market.
Benitez has already raised around £8 million from the sales of Arbeloa, Sebastian Leto, Jack Hobbs and Paul Anderson.
He has been linked with Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole, Hull defender Michael Turner, Valencia's David Silva and Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
Benitez is aware that the new Premier League season is little more than a fortnight away, and he needs to move quickly to find a replacement for Alonso otherwise the club's preparation for the campaign will be disrupted.
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