Liverpool FC must play hardball with Real Madrid over Xabi Alonso

Having already spent £180m on four players this summer, the Spanish club are now baulking at paying Liverpool's reported £35m asking price for Alonso and are relying on the player to force the issue with his club to expedite the move.

Memories are still fresh of the Spaniards palming the Reds off with a paltry £8m and the willing but limited Antonio Nunez in return for Michael Owen in 2004 and, with Alonso still having three years left to run on his current contract, the Reds are in a far stronger position to dictate the terms of the deal than they were five years ago.

It appears Rafa Benitez is determined to hold out for what he sees as Alonso's correct market value and he is quite right in sending out the message 'pay up or he stays'.

This of course is not a strategy without risk - an unhappy player in the ranks would not exactly be conducive to a successful title push and the uncertainties of a footballer's career means he could lose fitness or form and, further on down the line, only be worth a fraction of the fee currently being offered.

But the bottom line is that if Alonso is sold, Liverpool are going to have to try and buy a replacement from a transfer market that is currently bloated beyond belief as a direct result of Madrid's grotesque spending this summer.

And that is why Rafa Benitez feels it is vital to have what he deems to be Alonso's full value at his disposal when he goes looking for another midfielder playmaker of the same standard because he will not come cheap.

Time will tell how much the Reds will miss Alonso's presence in the middle of the park.

Comparisons were made to 1980's maestro Jan Molby once the Alonso's full passing repertoire became apparent following his arrival from Real Sociedad in 2004 and, when he completed his debut season by converting the rebound from his own penalty in Istanbul before lifting the European Cup, it was not difficult to imagine him pulling the Reds midfield strings for many years to come.

But despite glimpses of the player we all hoped Alonso was going to become, notably in stunning long-range efforts against the the likes of Luton Town and Newcastle, the following two seasons saw his progress stall to the extent that his departure - for the right money and with an appropriate replacement - would not have been overly mourned by some Liverpool supporters.

There was a perception that factors such as Alonso's lack of physical robustness in the middle of the park and his inability to really stamp his authority on games (particularly when paired in the middle with Steven Gerrard - two of his most memorable performances, Turin 05 and the March 2006 'Phil Neville' derby, notably came in the skipper's absence) were outweighing his sublime passing ability in terms of his overall contribution.

A lot has changed in the last twelve months however.

Xabi had by some distance his best season in a Red shirt since his debut one, the balance of the side, with Mascherano holding and Gerrard more advanced, perfectly suiting the 'quarterback' nature of Alonso's role in being able dictate the direction and tempo of the play.

His stock has certainly risen - and with the player reported to have been hurt by the club's alleged attempts to sell him the previous summer to the highest bidder, he knows it and is determined to take advantage.

What muddies the waters further is Gareth Barry, whose name looms over this story like the ghost of transfer windows past.

Rafa Benitez's long, public and ultimately fruitless pursuit of the-then Aston Villa midfielder was widely regarded as being for the purpose of replacing Alonso and when the Liverpool boss expressed his disappointment at Barry's decision to join Manchester City at the start of this summer's window, Alonso may have felt an element of deja vu even if the Basque's improved form had meant the addition of Barry may have been to complement rather than replace him.

When you add in the uncertainty surrounding fellow midfield lynch-pin Javier Mascherano's future at the club along with champions Manchester United at present looking as vulnerable as they have done in years following the conclusion of their summer business (or so they say), it is hugely frustrating for Liverpool supporters to have to suddenly confront the potential exit of two key members of the midfield engine-room.

Over the course of his five years at Anfield, Xabi Alonso has generally conducted himself in a manner befitting of a Liverpool player and has given fans numerous moments of joy to remember him by.

But if his departure weakens the spine of the team as the Reds stand on the cusp of re-scaling our infamous perch, his legacy will have consequences that reach far beyond half the crowd no longer screaming 'shoot' when the ball's in the centre circle umpteen times every match.