Liverpool in talks over Aquilani acquisition
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Xabi Alonso on his way out at Liverpool...and Rafa wants Lee Cattermole to replace him
Kiss goodbye: Liverpool are saying farewell to Xabi Alonso
Liverpool are on the verge of striking a compromise deal to sell Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid and will plough part of his transfer fee into bids for Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole and Hull defender Michael Turner.
Alonso's move to the Bernabeu has dragged on through the summer, with Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez demanding £35million and Real offering £25m for the Spain midfielder.
But Sportsmail understands that the clubs are now only £5m apart in their negotiations and are expected to agree on a price of just under £30m in the next 48 hours.
The 27-year-old will be reunited with his Anfield team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa, who completed his £3.5m move to Real on Wednesday after passing a medical in Spain.
Although Liverpool are set to make a sizeable profit on Alonso - who was signed from Real Sociedad for £10.5m in 2004 - their supporters will be hugely disappointed to see him leave and more than a little surprised at the men Benitez is planning to buy with the proceeds.
After a summer of being linked with players of the calibre of David Villa and his Valencia team-mate David Silva, Cattermole and Turner can hardly be described as box-office signings. But with FIFA planning to introduce a rule limiting clubs to five foreigners in their starting lineup, Benitez is believed to be concerned about the small number of English players in his squad.
He is ready to tempt Wigan with an offer of £12m for Cattermole, who cost just £3.5m from Middlesbrough a year ago.
Wigan insist they do not want to sell the combative midfielder and have so far resisted attempts by their former manager Steve Bruce to take him to Sunderland.
Although Bruce would also be prepared to go as high as £12m, he knows that Sunderland cannot match Liverpool's pulling power or offer Cattermole a chance to play on European football's biggest stage.
Cattermole impressed during his first season at Wigan and for England at this summer's European Under 21 Championships in Sweden, but was resigned to staying for another year before looking for a move to a bigger team.
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Lol~
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Cattermole young? Under 21? Hot prospect for the future.
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silva leh?
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Liverpool in talks over Aquilani acquisition
Liverpool are believed to have opened negotiations with Roma over the signing of midfielder Alberto Aquilani, as speculation intensifies that Xabi Alonso will soon seal his much-mooted move to Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old - who has been linked with Arsenal in the past - has made more than 100 league appearances for the Stadio Olimpico outfit since making his debut in 2002, scoring nine times.
And with both Liverpool central midfielders, Alonso and Javier Mascherano, being strongly linked with Real and Barcelona respectively, Anfield boss Rafael Benitez is believed to be eyeing up the Italian, who has 11 caps for the Azzurri, as a replacement.
Despite Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting earlier this month that Benitez was weighing up an €18 million bid for the middle-man, Aquilani's agent Franco Zavaglia insisted the player was going no where.
However, according to The Guardian, the Reds are now in talks with the Giallorossi, with Alonso being tipped to soon follow fellow countryman Alvaro Arbeloa to the Bernabeu for around £30 million.