Liverpool Will Push For Aston Villa's Ashley Young And Keep Xabi Alonso
Rafa Benitez has been given the go ahead to push for the signing of Aston Villa's Ashley Young, according to the News of the World - which also claims that the Spaniard has been assured his compatriot Xabi Alonso will not be joining Real Madrid.
Young has been linked with a number of clubs all summer, but now Benitez and Villa boss Martin O'Neill could be set to wage war once again - as they did in the Gareth Barry saga last summer.
The newspaper claims that the England winger is a major piece in Benitez's Liverpool project for the coming season.
However, what 'Pool want and what Villa will countenance are likely to be two entirely different propositions. To deter potential interest, the Villans recently slapped a £30 million price tag on Young.
Will that put off the Reds' American owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks? The financially challenged pair were not prepared to sanction a considerably lower bid for Barry 12 months ago, so it will be interesting to see if there is genuine mileage in this News of the World story.
Meanwhile, the paper says that Alonso will now reject a move to Real Madrid to stay at Anfield. He was apparently set for a £27m move to the Bernabeu, but is now prepared to stay at Liverpool for at least one more season.
This suggests a dramatic change of mind by Alonso, who had seemed determined to join the Spanish giants. The News of the World implies that because he has joined his team-mates in Vienna, he has decided to stay.
However, the Daily Mail suggests that the situation is far from resolved. According to that paper, Alonso's future will only be decided after talks with Benitez.
The Liverpool party are due to fly from Austria to Bangkok after Sunday's friendly with Rapid Vienna, and if Alonso accompanies them to Thailand, the likelihood of a move to Real Madrid will diminish sharply.
But The Mail adds that Alonso and Benitez have barely communicated since the end of last season, and that sources in Spain believe their chilly relationship will persuade Alonso to sign for Real.
Of course, it could be that by selling Alonso to Real, Benitez will realise the funds with which to mount a determined bid for Young.
发表于 18-7-2009 07:43 PM
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