Benitez seals 20m swoop for Aquilani
LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez yesterday moved quickly to fill the gap left by Xabi Alonso by agreeing a £20m fee with Roma for Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani.
While Alonso was completing his protracted £34m transfer to Real Madrid, Benitez wasted no time in replacing the Spaniard by confirming a deal for Aquilani. The 25-year-old is expected to travel to Merseyside to undergo a medical and sign a contract before the weekend, when the switch will be formally completed.
And Benitez is confident that Aquilani, who has won 11 senior caps for Italy, has the pedigree to succeed fans’ favourite Alonso.
“Alberto is a very good player and I’m delighted we’ve reached agreement with Roma for his transfer. Alberto has a winning mentality and great experience in both Serie A and the Champions League,” said Benitez.
“He has long been recognised as a top-class talent in Italy, captaining his country at both Under-19 and Under-21 levels before establishing himself in the senior national side.”
Liverpool lined up Aquilani while they were negotiating the sale of Alonso. Benitez had been reluctant to offload the Euro 2008 winner but conceded defeat when free-spending Real matched his asking price.
Aquilani has been out of action since March with an ankle injury and underwent surgery in May.
Benitez, who saw his team beat Norwegian side Lyn Oslo 2-0 last night, is now expected to turn his attention to bolstering his defence. Portsmouth centre-back Sylvain Distin is thought to be among his targets, but he is likely to face competition from Manchester City and Aston Villa for the experienced Frenchman.