There is a very good chance that Alberto Aquilani is going to be part of Rafa Benitez's negotiations once Xabi Alonso makes his transfer request final. That will end the saga of Real's overtures to the Spanish international that seems to have consumed Liverpool for the better part of this summer.
The David Villa link to Liverpool is just pure horse droppings at this point. There is no way that Liverpool can top more than €55m which is what Barca offered for the Valencia striker even when factoring in the dream price of €36m for Alonso. But Aquilani could easily come for that price. Plus, hasn't Liverpool figured out that even a player of the calibre of Villa needs the creative output of an Alonso to score goals? Aquilani is far more useful.
The buzz is Daniele De Rossi has also been linked to Arsenal. We know that Roma's financial situation is precarious and the takeover by a Swiss consortium led by Vinicio Fioranelli has collapsed. But even given these dire circumstances, Roma is not about to sell off both De Rossi and Aquilani at the same time; these two key players have been entrusted with keeping them competitive in the top tier of the Serie. If they do, they are in deeper trouble than expected. Of the two, Aquilani is definitely more expendable and might net the Giallorossi a tidy sum of money. So for those Arsenal fans fooled by the rumour mill, Rossi is staying on and has no intentions of moving.
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