Alonso staying at Liverpool

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has told SkySports in an exclusive interview that he is not even remotely thinking of departing from Anfield this summer and that he is happy playing for the Premiership side under manager Rafael Benitez.

The Spanish international midfielder has been touted in the British and Spanish press to leave Anfield this summer in the wake of him not playing regular football for Liverpool in the recently concluded 2007-2008 season.

Moreover, the nearly done signing of the Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry has inflated reports that Alonso is definitely out of Anfield. So much so that some news reports have even gone as far as to suggest that Spanish and European giants Real Madrid have even approached Liverpool with a considerable huge bid.

But Xabi Alonso now declares that he has no intension at all of leaving Anfield anytime soon. The former Real Sociedad signed a contract extension at Liverpool last summer that shall keep him at the club until the summer of 2012 and insists that there has been no approach whatsoever from Real Madrid.

Alonso was speaking to Skysports.com courtesy of EA Sports and said:

“It surprises me because I know the real truth. There has been no movement from Real Madrid, whether official or otherwise.

“At the moment I am with Liverpool, I have a contract with Liverpool and I want to be at Liverpool.

“I have been surprised and very disappointed to read that I want to leave Liverpool.

“The people who write these things have clearly not done very rigorous research.”

The last few weeks have been replete with rumours that Xabi Alonso was at long last on his way to the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid have always admired the player and since his time at Basque traditionalists Real Sociedad have been eager to land the player in Madrid and it was thought that this time Real would ultimately sign the player rated as one of the best defensive midfield players in the world.