Source: Telegraph
Juventus plot return for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso
The Turin side's manager Claudio Ranieri tried to sign the Spanish international last summer but failed to match Rafa Benitez's asking price, believed to be in the region of £16 million, as his Anfield counterpart tried to raise funds to sign Aston Villa's Gareth Barry. [LNB]Alonso has arguably been Liverpool's most consistent player this season and last week Benitez insisted he wanted to keep hold of the midfielder, one of his first signings upon arriving in England in the summer of 2004. [LNB] Related ArticlesBenitez may have to sell to buyLiverpool deny talks over Indian investmentUnited and Liverpool terror fearLiverpool eke out scrappy winRafael Benitez heads for busy summer of rebuilding at LiverpoolLiverpool manager Rafa Benitez hails fighting spirit after late victory over FulhamBut Juventus have been alerted by Benitez's confession he will have to offload players if he is to swell his coffers sufficiently to land the reinforcements he needs to keep pace with Chelsea, Manchester United and a resurgent Arsenal next season. [LNB]While Benitez would be loath to part with Alonso, one of his most trusted on-pitch lieutenants, he has admitted he cannot guarantee he would not be tempted to part with the former Real Sociedad player if the club received the right offer. [LNB]Asked if he would reject an increased bid from Alonso's former suitors, Benitez simply said: "I don't know if Juventus would have that amount of money this summer because there is a crisis all around the world. We will have to wait and see. We didn't want to sell him last summer but in football everybody has a price." [LNB]Ernesto Bronzetti, the Italian superagent who advises many of Serie A's top clubs on transfers, admitted on Tuesday he still sees Alonso as the ideal foil for another former Liverpool midfielder, Momo Sissoko, in Ranieri's midfield. [LNB]He said: "I would try to bring in Alonso. There was a long chase last summer for his signature, of course, so it is a road we know. Pairing him with Sissoko would be a title-winning midfield. The problem is that it would be very hard and expensive to take such an important player away from Liverpool." [LNB]Alonso's long-time suitors, Real Madrid, are also thought to be tracking his progress, with presidential candidate Florentino Perez especially keen on landing him, should he win the Spanish club's forthcoming elections. [LNB]
