Xabi Alonso wants his future sorted out before the weekend but faces the dilemma of whether to go public on his desire to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid.
The Spain midfielder has reportedly already told Anfield boss Rafa Benitez that he wants to be part of the Bernabeu revolution and is said to be frustrated by the lack of progress on a deal.
Benitez has been determined to hold on to the 27-year-old all summer, privately quoting a prohibitive £40million price-tag, and will not back down unless Alonso forces a move with a transfer request or public declaration.
The midfielder does not want to follow the risky strategy but is keen for talks to re-open.
Bernabeu icon Raul has stepped up the pressure by enthusiastically welcoming the prospect of playing alongside Alonso.
'I would like him to come because Xabi Alonso is a great player,' said the Madrid captain.
'The decision is made by other people at the club and the technical body, who see what the team need.'
Liverpool are due to fly out for their Asian tour on Saturday and it is unclear whether Alonso will be on the flight.
Madrid have used various tactics in their pursuit of Alonso since Florentino Perez took over as president at the start of June and made a public pitch to bring him to Spain.
In recent days they have publicly said the deal looks unlikely without closing the door, though alternatives that have been lined up have proved either as difficult to sign or mere smokescreens.
They were knocked back immediately when going for Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi while signing Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal was seen as fraught with difficulty.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini would like to raid his former club Villarreal for Santi Cazorla, but the 24-year-old is seen as more of an attacking midfielder rather than an alternative to Alonso.
There is also a suggestion that Madrid have been in talks for several weeks with Javier Mascherano with the thinking that if one of Liverpool's midfielders leaves, it must be to them rather than rivals Barcelona.
Udinese's D'Agostino would be relatively easy to recruit, but it is thought Madrid are using their interest in the Italy international primarily to put pressure on Liverpool to lower their asking price.
The Spanish giants similarly tried to show the Reds they would not be ripped off by actually lowering their bid for Alonso to £20m earlier this week.
A compromise around £32m may well get their man, but there is still some distance between the clubs' respective valuation and Madrid are desperate to sell at least five players in the next few days to fund further spending.
Benitez has lined up Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani as a replacement for either Alonso or Mascherano, according to reports in Italy.
The Spain midfielder has reportedly already told Anfield boss Rafa Benitez that he wants to be part of the Bernabeu revolution and is said to be frustrated by the lack of progress on a deal.
Benitez has been determined to hold on to the 27-year-old all summer, privately quoting a prohibitive £40million price-tag, and will not back down unless Alonso forces a move with a transfer request or public declaration.
The midfielder does not want to follow the risky strategy but is keen for talks to re-open.
Bernabeu icon Raul has stepped up the pressure by enthusiastically welcoming the prospect of playing alongside Alonso.
'I would like him to come because Xabi Alonso is a great player,' said the Madrid captain.
'The decision is made by other people at the club and the technical body, who see what the team need.'
Liverpool are due to fly out for their Asian tour on Saturday and it is unclear whether Alonso will be on the flight.
Madrid have used various tactics in their pursuit of Alonso since Florentino Perez took over as president at the start of June and made a public pitch to bring him to Spain.
In recent days they have publicly said the deal looks unlikely without closing the door, though alternatives that have been lined up have proved either as difficult to sign or mere smokescreens.
They were knocked back immediately when going for Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi while signing Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal was seen as fraught with difficulty.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini would like to raid his former club Villarreal for Santi Cazorla, but the 24-year-old is seen as more of an attacking midfielder rather than an alternative to Alonso.
There is also a suggestion that Madrid have been in talks for several weeks with Javier Mascherano with the thinking that if one of Liverpool's midfielders leaves, it must be to them rather than rivals Barcelona.
Udinese's D'Agostino would be relatively easy to recruit, but it is thought Madrid are using their interest in the Italy international primarily to put pressure on Liverpool to lower their asking price.
The Spanish giants similarly tried to show the Reds they would not be ripped off by actually lowering their bid for Alonso to £20m earlier this week.
A compromise around £32m may well get their man, but there is still some distance between the clubs' respective valuation and Madrid are desperate to sell at least five players in the next few days to fund further spending.
Benitez has lined up Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani as a replacement for either Alonso or Mascherano, according to reports in Italy.
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