THE ARSE WANT ALONSO

Arsenal have stepped up their interest in Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

The Gunners have made an official enquiry to Reds chief executive Rick Parry about the availability of the Spanish international, hence Rafa's comments about the player over the weekend.

Speaking on Saturday, Rafa said: "I don't think it will be easy [for him to leave].

"The value of Alonso in the market will be really high. We are really pleased with him and we don't want him to go unless we get a very good price."

Arsenal value Alonso around the £11m mark while it is claimed the Reds are looking for around £18m.

If Rafa does find a buyer, he will almost certainly bid for Valencia's David Silva. If Alonso stays, it means we have another great player for the forthcoming season.

It's a win-win situation in our opinion.

Meanwhile Benayoun has been linked with AS Roma, but his agent has claimed he is a happy Red and does not want to move now. Lets hope so.