The Sun claims Juve have scrapped their plans to bring
Alonso to Turin, despite the move appearing all but done after
several weeks of negotiations. Prior to EURO 2008, it seemed only a
matter of putting to pen to paper but closing talks were put off
during the tournament and have failed to pick up where they left
off.
It is believed the Reds are now refusing to budge from their
original ₤16million asking price, a figure the Old Lady simply will
not – or cannot – meet. Hence, the Bianconeri have turned
to alternative targets such as Sevilla’s Christian Poulsen and
Internazionale’s Dejan Stankovic – the latter of whose proposed
move has met with angry protests from the Juve faithful.
But the situation at Anfield is even more interesting, as Alonso’s
non-departure could effectively scupper Rafa Benitez’s hopes of
landing Aston Villa wantaway Gareth Barry. It is understood Benitez
was to use the cash from the Basque playmaker’s transfer to fund
the Barry deal, as Villa are demanding ₤18million for their
skipper. The Merseyside giants have repeatedly denied that this was
the case, but that stance will most certainly be tested now.
The timing of these happenings also leaves Barry in a particularly
unpleasant situation, as the England midfielder effectively severed
ties with Villa recently when he publicly declared his desire to
join Liverpool.
As Villa have already secured a replacement in Steve Sidwell, the
27-year-old could be out in the cold if Benitez decides to drop the
deal and focus on attacking reinforcements instead.