Alonso joins squad for showdown talks

Xabi Alonso last night arrived in Vienna with his Spanish team-mates to meet up with the rest of the Liverpool squad.

Liverpool take on Rapid Vienna in a friendly this evening before travelling to Asia for the next section of their pre-season tour.

Alonso, who has with his agent been positioning for a potential move to Real Madrid, is believed to be having showdown talks with Rafa Benitez and all eyes will be on whether he boards Liverpool’s flight to Bangkok or whether he leaves Austria to head to Madrid.

According to some reports Benitez and Alonso have not even spoken since the end of the season – which supports the widely held belief that the relatinship between the players is abysmal.

Whilst Alonso joining up with the squad can be taken as a positive sign – there is also a strong belief that this was done to avoid disciplinary measures and also to allow Xabi an opportunity to say goodbye to his team-mates.

The next 24 hours could be crucial in the Xabi Alonso transfer saga.

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