Big-spending La Liga giants Real Madrid have agreed a fee, believed to be £30million, with Liverpool to sign Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso.
 Alonso: Finally on his way to Real |
The end of a summer-long saga over the 27-year-old's future ended on Tuesday when Liverpoo! l issued a short statement effectively bringing to a close his spell on Merseyside.
The statement read: "Liverpool Football Club this evening confirmed they had reached agreement for the sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, subject only to a medical. The terms of the deal will remain confidential and undisclosed."
Although Liverpool will not reveal the details of the deal, privately sources were maintaining that manager Rafael Benitez had got his own way over the fee.
It is believed that Madrid made another attempt to end the deadlock on Tuesday with an offer of £30million that will rise to £34million depending on Alonso's success over the first two years of what is believed to be a five-year contract.
Alonso had trained with his Liverpool colleagues on Tuesday afternoon at the club's Melwood complex.
But as the Liverpool party headed for John Lennon airport and a charter flight to Norway for Wednesday's friendly with Lyn Oslo, Alonso was h! eading back to Spain.
Real Madrid issued a statement of! their o wn, confirming he will have a medical on Wednesday.
Assuming all goes well, he will join his former Liverpool team-mates Alvaro Arbeloa - who moved to Real last week for £3.5million - and goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek at the Bernabeu.
Alonso and Dudek were part of the famous night in Istanbul when Liverpool lifted the European Cup after a penalty shoot-out victory over AC Milan.
Now only Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher remain at the club from the 18 players on the team sheet in Istanbul that night.
Alonso's departure has been a long and painful experience for Liverpool fans, who had taken the Basque midfielder to their hearts.
Benitez tried to sell him last summer in the complexities of his unsuccessful fight to sign Gareth Barry from Aston Villa.
Alonso did not want to go then, and has always felt that he was being forced out of the club to finance the Barry deal.
This summer it was Benitez who did not want to lose the player, wh! o is believed to have told his manager on the final day of last season that he wanted to return to Spain.
From that point on, Madrid waged a persistent war to sign the player as they assembled a new squad under president Florentino Perez.
With the Alonso deal, Perez will have spent around £220million in two months on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul Albiol, Esteban Granero, Arbeloa, Alvaro Negredo and Karim Benzema.
That haul is Madrid's response to Barcelona's historic treble of Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Cup.
But although Perez did not consider Alonso to be a player who 'will sell shirts', the Spain international has been almost as difficult to prise away from his club as Ronaldo.
Benitez, meanwhile, has not wasted any time replacing Alonso at Anfield, with the Reds believed to be closing in on the signing of Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen.
Juve are open to the sale of the Denmark international and a number of sides! have been linked with an interest in his services.
Pre! mier Lea gue duo Fulham and Everton are among those clubs said to be admirers of the 29-year-old.
But Benitez's Reds are in pole position to secure Poulsen's signature.
