The Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has said he wants to stay at Anfield, but could be sold to Real Madrid. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/EPA
Real Madrid's new president, Florentino Pérez, is expected to commence his attempts to sign Xabi Alonso by offering the Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo as a makeweight in a deal to bring the ÂLiverpool playmaker to the Bernabéu.
Pérez's reappointment to the Real presidency yesterday coincided with reports that a £22m deal has been agreed in principle with Alonso and Liverpool. The suggestion was immediately denied by the Liverpool manager, Rafael BenÃtez, who repeated that the 27-year-old is not for sale, although that resolve will be tested in the coming weeks, with Real among several parties, including Arsenal, who are keen on the Spain international.
Despite public assertions to the Âcontrary, the prospect of Alonso leaving Anfield remains alive. His relationship with BenÃtez was badly strained by the manager's attempts to sell him last summer, to fund the aborted deal for Gareth Barry, and BenÃtez must sell to meet all his current transfer requirements.
Negredo plays for AlmerÃa, where his 19 goals this season made him the club's leading scorer for the second campaign in succession, and has been monitored by Liverpool scouts for several months. The 23-year-old has a buyout clause of around £12m but, as a product of Real's youth Âsystem, he would cost his former club only £4.4m under the terms of his move to AlmerÃa in 2007.
Though Pérez would not struggle to finance a straight cash deal for Alonso as he embarks on another lavish spending spree this summer, re-signing Negredo and offering him as a cut-price option to Liverpool may make such a move appeal to BenÃtez. Depending on the striker's valuation as a makeweight, he could theoretically enable the Liverpool manager to strengthen his attack and fund a renewed bid for Barry with the Alonso money. The former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze, a target for BenÃtez in the past, has also been mentioned as part of a Real bid for the midfielder.
"The situation is clear, we do not want to sell our best players and that includes Xabi," BenÃtez reiterated yesterday. "He had a very good season for us and can be an important player in the future. There is no agreement with Real and we want him to be part of our plans going forward. Xabi himself told our club magazine only two weeks ago that he was looking forward to his sixth season as a Liverpool player. Why should he want to leave now?"
Alonso may ultimately have to declare a desire to leave Liverpool for BenÃtez to accept Real's impending offer. The Liverpool manager added: "Xabi's agent came to see me recently to talk about the future. It was a surprise for me and I pointed out to him there were three years left on Xabi's contract. I asked him if the player was happy in Liverpool and he said yes. It was a short meeting."
Pérez has insisted that Madrid will buy Spanish players as well as international ones, even though he purchased only one Spaniard during his first spell at the club – Sergio Ramos from Sevilla. Alonso heads the list together with Valencia's David Villa and David Silva.
Pérez, who in the absence of opposition was presented as Real's president without even having to go to the polls, wants to make his first big-name signing soon and will today formally unveil Manuel Pellegrini as his coach. Madrid opted to take Pellegrini from Villarreal after Arsène Wenger and Jose Mourinho turned down the job. Madrid will pay about €4m (£3.4m) to get the 55-year-old Chilean, who led Villarreal in two Champions League campaigns, reaching the 2006 semi-finals and this year's quarter-finals.
Pellegrini had been the preferred choice of Madrid's new sporting director, Jorge Valdano, who was attracted by the neat possession game played by Villarreal. Pérez had initially been keen to appoint a higher-profile manager.
Pérez has admitted he sees star players as the best way to kick-start Madrid's economic recovery as he looks to resurrect the galáctico model that saw him sign Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham. He believes marketing remains the key to the club's financial health and that players such as Cristiano Ronaldo are essential. Madrid remain keen to sign the Manchester United winger but their immediate priorities are Milan's Kaka and Franck Ribéry of Bayern Munich. The club's outlay this summer could be as high as €300m.