Reds losing Tevez race as Real prepare Alonso bid

Tuesday’s Newspaper Round-up
Liverpool have fallen behind financial-heavyweights Manchester City in the race to sign Argentine international striker Carlos Tevez, according to this morning’s papers.

Tevez’s loan deal at Manchester Utd expires at the end of this month and Utd must put up £25.5million to keep him at Old Trafford, with other clubs said to be ready to match the figure.

But The Independent claims this morning that Liverpool are not prepared to meet Tevez’s price tag, and could lose out to City, who are also able to offer Tevez higher wages ‘“ but not Champions League football.

Chelsea and Real Madrid are also understood to have matched the requirements of the investment consortium, headed by Kia Joorabchian, which holds the player’s rights ‘“ though Chelsea‘s pursuit of Kaka reveals that Tevez could not expect to command the regular first-team football which he so craves.

Tevez and his representatives are expected to talk to United officials this week over his future and a decisions is expected to be announced in the next few days.

Meanwhile there’s a general consensus in this morning’s papers that Real Madrid are about to launch a big money plus player swap bid for Xabi Alonso after Florentino Pérez was appointed the new president at the Spanish giants.

It is understood that Real will include 23-year-old Almeria striker Alvaro Negredo, who they have a £4.4million buy-back option for. Negrado scored 19 goals in La Liga last season.

Although Benitez has denied the speculation about Alonso’s Anfield exit, the player himself has yet to publicly set his future straight. Andy Hunter of The Guardian writes:

Despite public assertions to the ­contrary, the prospect of Alonso leaving Anfield remains alive. His relationship with Benítez was badly strained by the manager’s attempts to sell him last summer, to fund the aborted deal for Gareth Barry, and Benítez must sell to meet all his current transfer requirements.

Negrado has also been linked with a move to Anfield recently anyway, even if Alonso’s rumoured deal fell through. The Mirror quotes Negrado as saying last month:

‘œTo play next to Fernando Torres at Anfield is a dream.’

The Daily Express believes Benitez may be tempted to take a full cash transfer fee for Alonso to boost his summer transfer kitty as he looks to improve both his first team and squad for the 2009/10 assault on the Premier League title.

Benitez knows he can ill-afford to take any risks in the transfer market and would probably prefer a straight cash deal of about £20million.