Real Madrid seek Alonso and Kaka

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez will ruffle feathers on Merseyside by allowing Xabi Alonso to leave the club for Real Madrid over summer. The £22m deal for the popular Spanish midfielder could also include former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze returning to the Premier League to play for United's bitterest rivals. Benitez is also keen on taking Real striker Alvaro Negredo in part-exchange for Alonso...

While Roman Abramovich appears to have been successful in luring AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea, he had less luck in persuading Kaka, the Italian club's Brazilian superstar to join the west Londoners. AC Milan are resigned to losing their playmaker in the close season, but his likeliest destination is Real Madrid, who are believed to have offered £60m for the 27-year-old...

Florentino Perez, Real Madrid's likeliest next president, has put Manchester United back on red alert, claiming that it is in the Spanish club's image and financial interests to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. He claimed that Madrid should have bought Ronaldo back in 2007, to replace the departing David Beckham, citing the need to improve the global standing of the club...

Chelsea are looking to bring CSK Moscow star Yuri Zhirkov to Stamford Bridge over the close season, having identified the 25-year-old playmaker as a target at the beginning of the year. Zhirkov's international manager with Russia, Guus Hiddink, will continue to work at the London club as a technical consultant having left as interim manager at the weekend, and watched the left-winger play in yesterday's Russian cup final, which CSKA won... ·