Source: Daily_Mail
Alonso is on his way... and Liverpool want Cattermole to replace him!
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.
If Wigan could be persuaded to sell, he would jump at the chance of joining a Champions League club like Liverpool where he can press his claims for a senior England call-up with the World Cup less than a year away.
Hull are equally determined to hold on to Turner and manager Phil Brown insisted last night that they would listen only to a 'ridiculous' offer for the centre back.
Benitez will test their resolve with a bid of £5.5m for a player who has attracted interest among Barclays Premier League clubs since helping Hull win promotion to the top flight last year. Tottenham, Fulham and Everton are all known admirers of the 25-year-old.
Brown said: 'Michael is knocking on the door of the England set-up and when you play like that you are going to attract attention. It would be difficult to hang on to him if a ridiculous bid came in, but as we stand, no bids are on the table.'
Benitez saw Arbeloa return to Madrid - where he was on Real's books as a youngster - and he has agreed a five-year deal.
Real's former Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek welcomed Arbeloa's signing and expressed hope that he would soon be joined by Alonso.
'He (Alonso) has a lot of quality and is also a great person off the pitch,' said Dudek. 'I hope that he comes, although it is not easy to negotiate with Rafa Benitez.'
Liverpool have made a small profit on the deal for Arbeloa, who joined them in January 2007 from Deportivo La Coruna for £2.6m.
However, Andrea Dossena's move to Napoli has been held up over a wages dispute. The 27-year-old left back, who signed for Liverpool from Udinese in a £7m switch a year ago, is keen on a return to his homeland and Benitez has made it clear he will not stand in his way by agreeing a cut-price deal of £4.5m.
But Napoli's director of sport Pierpaolo Marino yesterday admitted there was deadlock over personal terms. 'We have taken a break in order to reflect on this,' said Marino. 'The move is on hold. There are no immediate prospects.
'The president has spoken to Rafael Benitez and there is some distance between us and the player. But I wouldn't worry too much.'
It is possible Spurs may hijack the deal if no agreement is reached.
