Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso are all being monitored by Atletico de Madrid as the Spanish outfit are keen to make a triple bid in the summer to land them all.

Atletico de Madrid are considering making an approach for Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso from Liverpool, but may wait to see what happens to Rafael Benitez, according to a report in AS.

Los Colchoneros are already drawing up plans for next season's squad and the Anfield trio are the main players that the club believe can bolster their squad.

Last summer Atletico coach Javier Aguirre wanted a playmaking midfielder and pinpointed Alonso only for him to appear to be ready to go to Juventus, before the Italian outfit opted to Christian Poulsen instead.

Now the Mexican trainer is intent on attracting Alonso to compliment the impressive forward line of Sergio Agüero, Diego Forlan, Mai and Simao.

Benitez would probably not want all three of the Spanish players to leave Liverpool if he were to stay but a new manager may allow them to go to raise funds.


That may be the only way that Atletico could prise Reina away as they are desperate to land the son of goalkeeper, Miguel Reina, who played in the 1974 European Cup Final.

Arbeloa may prove to be an easier proposition, but even the Spanish international defender is seen as a vital squad member by the Merseyside outfit.

One way that the club could be assured to having a chance of signing the trio would be to make Benitez the coach and that could be a realistic proposition towards the end of the season.

 Alan Hansen may have been horribly wrong in his assessment all those years ago, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger , having championed his kids for so long, finally appears to have come round to the Scotsman's school of thought.

Arsenal have struggled for consistency so far this season, a fault has been attributed to a lack of experience in the side, particularly in midfield where fellow team-mates have even started tackling each other in dying moments of games.

Wenger may be one of Fabregas's fans but the Gunners boss has realised his new captain, just 21, needs a helping hand from a more experienced sidekick in the middle of the park.

Enter Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Wenger is a keen admirer of the Spain international; the Gunners would have snapped him up last summer if it were not for Aston Villa's refusal to allow Gareth Barry to go to Anfield.

But having continued to impress this season, and with Liverpool still interested in Barry, Wenger is preparing to make another bid for Alonso once the transfer window opens in January. The Daily Mirror claims a fee of £12 million should be enough to tempt Rafa Benitez to part with his countryman.

According to reports in Italy, Juventus are set to drop their interest in Xabi Alonso after growing frustrated at the lack of progress during negotiations with Liverpool.                                

The Bianconeri are well known to be in the market for a top class centre midfielder, and they have been heavily linked over the past several weeks with Roma’s Alberto Aquilani, Napoli’s Marek Hamisk, Inter’s Dejan Stankovic, as well as Sevilla midfielder Christian Poulsen.

With deals for Aquilani and Hamsik impossible, and Stankovic also unlikely due to fan protests, Alonso had emerged as Juve’s new first choice signing.

The Old Lady have been attempting to negotiate a transfer fee with Liverpool for the player, but have grown increasingly frustrated at the failure to reach a compromise, with the Merseysiders said to be demanding €20m and Juve only prepared to pay €15m.

Over the weekend Ranieri stated that Alonso was not the only centre midfielder that Juve were interested in, and according to latest reports in Italy, the club have become so fed up with proceedings that they are ready to end their chase for Alonso.

Alonso signed for Liverpool in 2004 from Basque Country-based Spanish side Real Sociedad.