Liverpool determined to keep hold of Xabi
Alonso
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Liverpool are determined to hold on to Xabi Alonso
despite the midfield player’s desire to move to Real Madrid.
Sources at Anfield indicated that it would take a “mind-blowing”
offer by the Spanish giants to prise the 27-year-old away from the
club.
Florentino Pérez, the Real president, told The Times yesterday
of his interest in Alonso. “Xabi is a magnificent Spanish player,
so of course we’d love to have him,” Pérez said. “But everything
would involve reaching an agreement with Rafael Benítez. It will
need to be an agreement that is in the best interests of both
clubs.”
Liverpool made it clear yesterday that they have no intention of
selling the Spain player, who has three years left on his contract.
Alonso, however, has made it equally clear that he wants to move
on. After the 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day
of the season last month, Alonso met Benítez, the Liverpool
manager, to try to force the issue.
The Spaniard has been unsettled for some time, despite having a
superb season. Before the Champions League qualifying match against
Standard Liège in August, he was reluctant to play to avoid being
cup-tied in Europe with any potential new club. However, Liverpool
are adamant that they will resist any move for Alonso — Manchester
City and Arsenal have also been linked with the player. Suggestions
that £25 million would tempt Benítez to sell were laughed off as
being “nowhere near” Liverpool’s valuation.
Benítez will be active in the transfer market despite
Liverpool’s accounts revealing that the club’s profits failed to
cover interest payments on debt last year. Tom Hicks and George
Gillett Jr, the club’s American owners, are almost certain to get
an extension on their £350 million loan deal with Royal Bank of
Scotland (RBS) and Wachovia, due for repayment on July 24.
RBS, which owns 75 per cent of the debt, is
unconcerned by the reported loss of £43 million since most of it
was due to “non-cash” write-downs in the value of players.
It is understood that the bank’s only reservation about the
performance of the owners is their inability to finance a new
stadium. The banks are encouraging Hicks and Gillett to look for
new investment to push through the new ground.
RBS was reassured when Benítez and
Fernando Torres signed extensions to their contracts in the closing
weeks of the season. The Spanish pair’s commitment to the club was
a significant factor in giving the Americans financial breathing
space.