Benítez now needs Alonso more than the midfielder needs him

• zocoss

  1 Jun 09, 11:47

  Liverpool 'accept' Real Madrid's £22m Xabi Alonso bid with Gabriel Heinze set for Anfield
  

   

  

  Reds marauder: Xabi Alonso (right) celebrates scoring at Chelsea earlier this season

   

  Xabi Alonso has agreed a £22million move to Real Madrid in a deal that could see Gabriel Heinze move to Liverpool, according to reports in Spain.

  Forget Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka or Franck Ribery, Alonso will be the first 'Galactico' of Florentino Perez's second stint as Bernabeu president, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.

  Perez is set to re-take his job as early as Monday - two weeks ahead of planned elections - after none of the other prospective presidential candidates was able to stump up the cash guarantee required.

   

   

  

  Looking up: Heinze could be on his way to England

   

   

  The 62-year-old is only likely to sign one from the trio of Manchester United star Ronaldo, AC Milan's brilliant Brazilian Kaka or Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery.

  But he has reportedly already reached an agreement for Spain midfielder Alonso. The paper says the Anfield star had agreed to a deal in principle weeks ago and that Liverpool accepted an offer on Friday.

  But there remain a few variables to sort out. Former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze could go the other way in part-exchange, with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez a long-term admirer of the Argentina international.

  Benitez is also said to be keen on striker Alvaro Negredo. Madrid sold the 23-year-old to Almeria but have a buy-back option and Liverpool are said to have wanted him as part of the Alonso deal.

  However, the £13m price-tag quoted is too much for Liverpool as they would prefer the cash to target Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry.

• a-Lost-9uY

  1 Jun 09, 12:09

  uhm how old is Gabriel Heinze?

• Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1)

  1 Jun 09, 12:13

  30 Plus ?
  
  
  Walao Fck the Ben la knncb
  
  Alonso so good yet go sell to a noob club that kena thrashed by Bar =.=

• zocoss

  1 Jun 09, 12:17

  Too old to be playing first team already... Saw how he defended for Real in their matches... Scary man...

   

   

   

• zocoss

  1 Jun 09, 12:22

  Originally posted by Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1):

  30 Plus ?
  
  
  Walao Fck the Ben la knncb
  
  Alonso so good yet go sell to a noob club that kena thrashed by Bar =.=

  
  But you must know, this is according to reports in Spain...

• Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1)

  1 Jun 09, 12:23

  Originally posted by zocoss:

  
  But you must know, this is according to reports in Spain...

  
  nvm wad done is done

• zocoss

  1 Jun 09, 12:35

  So cannot belief everything from the Real friendly Spanish Press... lol

• limpper

  1 Jun 09, 15:25

  Real Madrid's Heinze linked with Liverpool swap for Xabi

  Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze could be on his way to Liverpool as part of a swap for midfielder Xabi Alonso.

  Sport says Alonso has agreed a £22million move to Real Madrid in a deal that could see Gabriel Heinze move to Liverpool.

  Florentino Perez has reportedly already reached an agreement for Spain midfielder Alonso. The paper says the Anfield star had agreed to a deal in principle weeks ago and that Liverpool accepted an offer on Friday.

  But there remain a few variables to sort out. Former Manchester United defender Heinze could go the other way in part-exchange, with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez a long-term admirer of the Argentina international.

• omgukilledkenny

  1 Jun 09, 16:37

  Haha, how many seasons has it been...Pool still linked with this baked beans.

• sg_forum

  1 Jun 09, 17:02

  I personally don't believe this report. But if it's true then...Rafa is certainly out of his mind...F hell!

• CannyOng

  1 Jun 09, 18:46

  He wants Heinz more for attack rather than defend. Heinz is very good in running up and down to support attack and defend.

• Rock^Star

  1 Jun 09, 19:35

  soon the entire first team is gonna be spanish save for carragher and gerrard. These two will soon feel like foreigners.

   

  Every fucking player he looks at is spanish.

• hamidisaidi

  1 Jun 09, 21:56

  Rock^Star...fyi, Heinze is Argentinian not Spanish.

• hamidisaidi

  1 Jun 09, 22:03

  Btw, Heinze is way pass his peak..but i believe he's suited for BPL. though his passing sucks....i should know coz im a Red Devils' fan.

  Alonso for Heinze is not a good move...though i suspect these are just your typical summer transfer rumours. Should it be true, Pool should already have a midfielder in mind to buy. Its just crazy if they sell Alonso without having someone else in mind. There is no one else in Pool that have the same passing abilities in midfield. Gerrard? Hollywood balls....to no-one.

• brokenluv

  1 Jun 09, 22:41

  Originally posted by Rock^Star:

  soon the entire first team is gonna be spanish save for carragher and gerrard. These two will soon feel like foreigners.

   

  Every fucking player he looks at is spanish.

  nowadays which top 4 teams got alot of english one? arsenal got like none? chelsea also jt lamps and cole nia. man united got abit more nia.

• omgukilledkenny

  1 Jun 09, 22:51

  Originally posted by brokenluv:

  nowadays which top 4 teams got alot of english one? arsenal got like none? chelsea also jt lamps and cole nia. man united got abit more nia.

  its funny, in a few seasons, i think Arsenal are gonna have the most. while man united the least.

• hamidisaidi

  1 Jun 09, 23:44

  omgkilledkenny......y do u tink so? arsenal always preferred to put foreign youth into their 1st team squads over british youth. Man Utd has brought in Gibson, Wellbeck, Eckersley to name a few into the 1st squad. If you looked thru the youth squads (incl the youth cup) man utd has played more british youth than arsenal, or even liverpool.

• brokenluv

  1 Jun 09, 23:51

  Originally posted by hamidisaidi:

  omgkilledkenny......y do u tink so? arsenal always preferred to put foreign youth into their 1st team squads over british youth. Man Utd has brought in Gibson, Wellbeck, Eckersley to name a few into the 1st squad. If you looked thru the youth squads (incl the youth cup) man utd has played more british youth than arsenal, or even liverpool.

  
  in my opinion, its up to those british youngsters to break through. Many of them may be sold off to lower clubs if they dont make the mark. Few actually do make it.

  In other words, british youth < foreign youth ??

• Patrik

  1 Jun 09, 23:52

  Benitez is nuts,to even want to offload Alonso.

• hamidisaidi

  1 Jun 09, 23:54

  brokenluv, i don tink its fair to say british talent is < foreign talent. I think the main problem is british talent transfer fees are inflated. Thats why managers go for cheaper foreign talents. And the 90min rule limits clubs from seeking british talent outside 90min of their perimeters thus they preferred to seek aborad where they are not binded and can cast a wider net.

• limpper

  2 Jun 09, 00:01

  Balague: Alonso switch could be settled speedily

  
  

  Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso could be heading to Real Madrid within a month, according to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.

  The former Real Sociedad man appeared set to leave Anfield last summer amid the Merseysiders' well-documented chase of Aston Villa anchorman Gareth Barry.

  However, neither move was completed, with Alonso going on to star for the Reds in 2008/09 as Rafael Benitez's men mounted a strong challenge for the Premier League title.

  12 months on, and speculation surrounds Alonso's future again, with both Arsenal and Real Madrid believed to be in the hunt for the 27-year-old.

  But despite Benitez insisting he is not interested in selling his fellow countryman, Balague believes the Madridistas - with former president Florentino Perez back at the helm - are genuinely pursuing the midfielder and may make Liverpool an offer that will be too good to turn down.

  “Xabi Alonso is a definite Real Madrid target and Rafa Benitez is aware of that fact,” he said on guillembalague.com.

  “After 5 years at Anfield, the player could be feeling that now is the right time to return to Spain, plus Benitez could certainly make use of the €25 million or so he will receive for Alonso in the transfer market this summer.

  “There is still much work to be done, but if it were to happen, I am under the impression that this deal could be concluded relatively quickly and be finalized within the next three weeks or so.”

• omgukilledkenny

  2 Jun 09, 00:16

  Originally posted by hamidisaidi:

  omgkilledkenny......y do u tink so? arsenal always preferred to put foreign youth into their 1st team squads over british youth. Man Utd has brought in Gibson, Wellbeck, Eckersley to name a few into the 1st squad. If you looked thru the youth squads (incl the youth cup) man utd has played more british youth than arsenal, or even liverpool.

  Because looking at the signings Fergie has been making, e. g. Zoran Tosic, Ljajic and De Laet , it doesn't look good for the reserves/youth team.  

  ..and Gibson is Irish btw.

  Whereas for Arsene, he's been signing English youngsters from lower leagues. most recently James Edge from Cheltenham.

• hamidisaidi

  2 Jun 09, 01:25

  omgukilledkenny....

  aresen signs british talent but rarely plays them. Fergie plays them. Jsut look at their youth squads, you can see the obvious diff. Btw, Tosic and De Laet is not young...they are 20+

• Agenda

  2 Jun 09, 01:32

  Even if Alonso is the worst player in the league, I wouldn't sell him to RM for 100m

  They're always trying to shortchange Liverpool.

  When Owen went to RM, only 8m plus they purposely played Morientes in the UCL so that he wouldn't come to Liverpool.

  Now for Alonso, we want Negredo, they sold him off..

  F RM!

• brokenluv

  2 Jun 09, 01:37

  Originally posted by hamidisaidi:

  omgukilledkenny....

  aresen signs british talent but rarely plays them. Fergie plays them. Jsut look at their youth squads, you can see the obvious diff. Btw, Tosic and De Laet is not young...they are 20+

  
  in my opinion, playing them is one thing ( only in english cups ). whether they break into the 1st team and play regularly is another.