Real agrees xabi Alsono's fee

Rafa Benitez finally won his protracted battle of wills with Real Madrid last night by forcing them to pay £30million for Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso.
The Liverpool manager refused to do business when the Spaniards, whose summer spending now stands at a mind-boggling £220m, opened the bidding at £19m. And he did not yield when they returned with an improved offer of £28m.
Sensing he was in no mood to relent over the 27-year old’s valuation, Bernabeu bosses gave in by agreeing to pay an initial £27m, with a further £3m to follow depending on Alonso’s success during the first two seasons of a four-year contract.

From that point on, Madrid waged a persistent war to sign the player as they assembled a new squad under president Florentino Perez.
With the Alonso deal, Perez will have spent around £220m in two months on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul Albiol, Esteban Granero, Arbeloa, Alvaro Negredo and Karim Benzema. That haul is Madrid's response to Barcelona's historic treble of Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Cup.

But although Perez did not consider Alonso to be a player who 'will sell shirts', the Spain international has been almost as difficult to prise away from his club as Ronaldo.