Alberto Aquilani (Roma)

If we sell Alonso i would like to see Aquilani here along with Defour for around 26 million.. so we have different options in midfield. I hope the Alonso deal will bring in around 27 million and a back up striker like Negredo, although hopefully if not Voronin can do a job. We could also maybe sell Dossena and Lucas to raise more funds, then add it to the cash we have for a player Rafa mentioned in June & buy a certain player like David Silva. I really want Lucas to shine at Liverpool & will continue to support him, in my heart though I'm just not sure it will happen.

Keep Lucas why get rid of him. But i do agree with you on the striker front i would like to see a backup one to help Torres when he is not fully fit.

I see where you guys are comin from with Lucas sale etc... to raise funds, i wouldnt mind that as we could then reoplace him with Defour, a better player IMO and at a similar age

I just think there may be better suited players to the premiership.. I hope I'm wrong though as i like his attitude and work rate. If this season Lucas suddenly becomes a Rafa machine like Kuyt i will be over the moon as i want any Liverpool player to succeed. If I'm honest i probably said the same about Kuyt a couple of seasons back when he was playing up top, it wasn't i didn't like him i just thought his overall contribution wasn't enough. Then moved out to the right more he came into his own, now i would never want him to leave he is one of our own.

Just worry about the gap Alonso will leave and being greedy i want two quality replacements for the price of one.

You forgot Zola Bergkamp and Henry came from Italy you'd hardly class them as flops. Flamini has being a disaster in Italy this year can't get his game at Milan, he has being kept out of the team by a group of pensioners. Sissoko is seen as a better player in Italy. Why aren't Arsenal being linked to Flamini not Viera - I think that is very interesting.

i have just read  that he's injury prone. if that's the case he's not worth a carrot. we can't afford to get this transfer wrong.

I just don't get it why people rave about Defour and Martinez, and don't rate Aquilani, an Italian (= world champions) international

But he also = injury prone. Which is not we need when were going for a tittle we need our starting 11 to be fit for most if not all games !

Still sounds a better option than Poulson. Mabey not Villa or Silva, but defo better than Poulson.

better than the poodle.... Not sure though, boys talented though for sure

i think he's better than Poulsen , he's not brillant but he's a good player !

Alberto Aquilani must prove fitness to Liverpool FC as Xabi Alonso’s move agreed

Aug 5 2009 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

ALBERTO AQUILANI’S hopes of filling Xabi Alonso’s boots at Anfield will rest on the Roma star passing a stringent medical.

Liverpool are confident that a deal can be struck to sign the Italian international midfielder and will step up their efforts to snare him now that Alonso’s move to Real Madrid looks set to be concluded.

But Aquilani’s fitness – or rather the lack of it – could prove a sticking point as the 25-year-old is currently sidelined having undergone surgery on his right ankle back in May.

Rafa Benitez is a big admirer of Aquilani’s technical ability but will need to be convinced that the central midfielder has recovered well enough to be able to withstand the rigours of a Premier League campaign before committing to the transfer.

Aquilani last featured for Roma on March 11 when the Serie A club crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal and the fact that he made only 14 league appearances last season because of fitness problems is a concern at Anfield.

Despite reports to the contrary, Danish international midfielder Christian Poulsen is not on Liverpool’s radar and no contact has been made with his club Juventus.

As revealed in Monday’s ECHO, Liverpool will receive a basic fee in the region of £30m if Alonso passes his own medical which was taking place in Madrid today.

Real Madrid indicated that they would be willing to meet Liverpool’s asking price for the want away Spanish international during talks held in Barcelona at the weekend and the final elements of the deal were thrashed out yesterday.

Though both clubs have made a commitment to keep the exact financial terms of Alonso’s transfer confidential it is understood that Real have agreed to make additional payments on top of the initial fee on the basis of any success the La Liga outfit has during the first two years of his proposed contract.

Alonso had been due to travel with the rest of the Liverpool squad for tonight’s pre-season friendly against FC Lyn in Oslo but was pulled out of the trip at the last minute after agreement was reached.

Benitez will expect to spend in the region of £16m on Aquilani should he prove his fitness and the Reds boss will then turn his attentions into bolstering other areas of his squad.

Central defensive cover is fast becoming an increasing priority for Benitez with Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel both being affected by injury problems following the departure of stalwart Sami Hyypia at the end of last season.

Skrtel is currently recovering from a hamstring strain suffered in Liverpool’s warm up match against Thailand on July 22 while Agger has again been ruled out of tonight’s game because of a back problem.

While Agger remained on Merseyside to receive further treatment teenage Spanish defender Danny Ayala has been added to the squad and could feature against the Norwegian outfit.

But Benitez will be keen to bring in more experienced cover and Portsmouth’s Sylvain Distin remains one possible target.

Liverpool Echo

Aquilani to fill gap left by Alonso

Italian set for Anfield after Real Madrid seal £30m deal for Reds' Spanish midfielder

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/aquilani-to-fill-gap-left-by-alonso-1767287.html

Liverpool expect to close the deal for Roma's £17m midfielder Alberto Aquilani in the next week after finally agreeing to Xabi Alonso's £30m departure to Real Madrid yesterday. The contract for Aquiliani has been in place for some time and the move can now go ahead after weeks of brinkmanship over Alonso.

With Liverpool's first Premier League game of the season 12 days' away, Benitez has once again proved himself a durable negotiator, holding out for a price of £30m for a player he valued at little more than half that last season. Having held out for a price they made clear was non-negotiable during talks in Spain last week Liverpool last night announced they had "reached agreement for the sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, subject only to a medical".

Aquilani, 25, has long been his first choice as a replacement and Roma's financial difficulties have allowed Liverpool to take advantage. One of the fans' homegrown favourites at Roma – along with Francesco Totti and Daniele de Rossi – his signing is something of a coup given that he plays for a club that has been resistant to selling their best players.

The sale of Aquilani should mean that Roma – who were the subject of a failed takeover bid by the agent Vinicio Fioranelli last month – will not have to sell again this summer thus quashing any hopes that Arsenal's Arsène Wenger had of prising away De Rossi. The midfielder can play in the role formerly occupied by Alonso alongside Javier Mascherano in the pairing that operates in front of the back four.

Alonso follows Alvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool to Madrid, providing further evidence that Florentino Perez's new regime has the power to take key players from the Premier League's best teams. Although it took longer than the negotiations for Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer this summer, Perez has once against demonstrated that although he usually gets his man he also has to pay the asking price.

The end of Alonso's five-year spell at the club means that Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are the only two players still at Anfield who featured in the club's Champions League final victory over Milan in Istanbul four years ago. Despite Alonso's impressive last season at the club, his relationship with Benitez has been damaged by the Liverpool manager's attempt to sell him last summer to Juventus to fund the bid for Gareth Barry.

Alonso had made it clear this time that he was determined to leave. He will be Real Madrid's fifth major signing this summer after Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol. At 28, and signed from Real Sociedad for £10.4m, he will remain one of Benitez's best-ever signings.

Liverpool and Manchester United both intend to meet with Valencia officials this week to discuss the availability of David Silva and David Villa. Both players, especially Villa, have proved impossible to budge this summer, and any breakthrough would probably be for Silva and at more than £20m. Valencia are in England to play friendlies against United today and Arsenal on Saturday.

[/b]

I find the bold part of that report very interesting to say the least Aquilani and Silva think I'd be happy with that.

To be honest I haven't seen enough of him or Defour to make a good decision. BUT I think that we should sign both for a combined 30million (Alonso's sale) and sell Lucas (Brazilian club wants him??) Then when we play a game against a tough side we can play Masch and Defour/Aquilani in the Centre Midfield and against teams who we don't need a super defensive midfielder we can rest Mascherano (stoke,hull and the like).
The problem with this is not enough money for Silva, but I was hoping that Lucas+Doss+Arby sales would be enough for Silva.

To be honest I haven't seen enough of him or Defour to make a good decision. BUT I think that we should sign both for a combined 30million (Alonso's sale) and sell Lucas (Brazilian club wants him??) Then when we play a game against a tough side we can play Masch and Defour/Aquilani in the Centre Midfield and against teams who we don't need a super defensive midfielder we can rest Mascherano (stoke,hull and the like).
The problem with this is not enough money for Silva, but I was hoping that Lucas+Doss+Arby sales would be enough for Silva.

We don't need to players to replace Xabi because only one of them can fit obviously. Lucas is going to be a star, and so is Jay Spearing so the future is sorted in that area if we can sign Aquilani or Defour. We can't blow our money on two DMs because  we need to make a move for Silva AND a back-up striker.

Aquilani set to undergo Liverpool medical

August 5, 2009

Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani is set to fly in to Liverpool within the next 24 hours to complete a medical at the club.

Liverpool and Roma had an agreement in place for Aquilani since July, as we exclusively revealed.

Personal terms have also been discussed behind the scenes with Aquilani to be offered a 5-year contract worth £3.5million.

Aquilani, who only made 14 appearances for Roma last season due to injury, will have to complete a thorough medical at Melwood before signing.

If the 25-year-old passes his medical, the deal will be announced before the end of the week as Benitez wants Aquilani to fit into the team with only ten days left till the Premier League season kicks-off.

Contrary to reports from Sky Sports News on Tuesday, Liverpool are not interested in signing Christian Poulsen from Juventus and the two clubs haven’t made any contact.

Aquilani set to undergo Liverpool medical

August 5, 2009

Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani is set to fly in to Liverpool within the next 24 hours to complete a medical at the club.

Liverpool and Roma had an agreement in place for Aquilani since July, as we exclusively revealed.

Personal terms have also been discussed behind the scenes with Aquilani to be offered a 5-year contract worth £3.5million.

Aquilani, who only made 14 appearances for Roma last season due to injury, will have to complete a thorough medical at Melwood before signing.

If the 25-year-old passes his medical, the deal will be announced before the end of the week as Benitez wants Aquilani to fit into the team with only ten days left till the Premier League season kicks-off.

Contrary to reports from Sky Sports News on Tuesday, Liverpool are not interested in signing Christian Poulsen from Juventus and the two clubs haven’t made any contact.

Link please.

Alberto Aquilani To Prove Fitness To Liverpool – Report

The Italian will reportedly have to prove that he is fit and capable of withstanding the rigours of the Premier League before joining the Merseyside club...
5 Aug 2009 08:14:07
Alberto Aquilani, Roma (Foto Grazia Neri)
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Alberto Aquilani, Roma (Foto Grazia Neri)
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As the Xabi Alonso transfer saga reaches its final lap, its shadow appears to have included Alberto Aquilani, as Liverpool look set to swoop in on the midfielder the moment they sniff the Madrid millions. However, the Italian will reportedly have to prove his fitness before the club decides to go ahead with his transfer.

According to The Liverpool Echo, the 25-year-old Roma player's move will hinge on a stringent medical conducted by the Merseyside club's staff.

The newspaper claims that the Reds are confident of sniping the Italian international from the Giallorossi, and will step up their efforts by another gear once the Alonso move to Madrid has been concluded.

Meanwhile, Aquilani's fitness remains a big concern, as the player underwent surgery on his right ankle in May and has remained on the sidelines since.

Reds manager Rafael Benitez is known to be an admirer of the Lupi player's technical ability, but is unsure of whether the youth product of the capital club can make the big leap and adapt to the physical side of English football.

Aquilani's last appearance at the Olimpico was during the Champions League game against Arsenal, which the hosts lost following a penalty-shootout. He has made only 14 league appearances for la Maggica last season due to injuries.

The injury plagued player has recently signed a new contract with the capital club, which is supposed to tie him to the peninsula until 2013. But he has continued to be heavily linked with Liverpool.

Meanwhile, contrary to recent reports, the newspaper has also claimed that Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen is not on Liverpool's radar, and that there has been no contact between the two clubs to prove otherwise.

Adithya Ananth, talkaloadofbull.com

http://talkaloadofbull.com/en/news/9/england/2009/08/05/1422840/alberto-aquilani-to-prove-fitness-to-liverpool-report

Link please.

http://lfcglobe.com/aquilani-set-to-undergo-liverpool-medical/

I like him... But the injuries are annoying

I like him... But the injuries are annoying

so true... the last thing we need is a player who is sidelined at the slightest knock, if we had no injuries last year... or rather less injuries..  the trophy would have been in its rightful place... well nuff said...

ALBERTO AQUILANI

Aquilani and some highlights of performances in Serie A...

I like him... But the injuries are annoying

Darren Anderton?