Source: Telegraph
Liverpool step up interest in Roma and Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani
Alonso formally submitted a written transfer request for a move to Real Madrid yesterday and it appears extremely likely that the Spanish midfield anchor will depart the Merseyside club in the near future.
Manager Rafael Benitez has reacted to Alonso's pleas by intensifying his interest in Aquilani, who has been a long-term target for the Spaniard, The Independent reports.
While he would not come cheap - Roma rate their home-grown star at £30m - there are signs that his club would not stand in the way of a transfer to Liverpool.
Benitez is desperate to find another player to control the midfield in a way that allows Steven Gerrard to get forward as much as possible, in the way that Alonso did.
Roma's financial situation puts them in a position where they are unable to object to big money transfers, which plays into the hands of Benitez.
There is currently an ownership row surrounding the club, after the agent Vinicio Fioranelli, representing a Swiss corporation saw his takeover bid collapse.
