Real president admires Alonso

New Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has intensified the speculation surrounding his club with a summer move for Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso by telling a Spanish radio station how highly he regards the Spanish international.

Perez was elected president yesterday and has made no secret of the fact that he is a fan of Alonso’s as Real look to improve their squad to close the gap on Barcelona who completed the La Liga, Spanish Cup and European Cup treble last week.

Amid reports in this morning’s papers suggesting Real are preparing a big money move for Alonso, Perez told Radio Television Espanola, “As a fan, I would say that Xabi is a great player. I think he is the best passer of the ball in Europe.

“I would be happy to have him, but I cannot talk about the player without having spoken first to Rafa Benitez, as he is the one who needs to know that we are interested in his player.”

However, Alonso was positive earlier today when asked about his performances on the pitch for Liverpool over the 2008/09 season. [Full Story]