The Roma and Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani is Liverpool's primary target as the departure of Xabi Alonso became ever more inevitable yesterday.

The Spanish midfielder raised the stakes in his battle to leave the club by formally requesting a transfer to Real Madrid who have pursued him all summer.

Aquilani, 25, has been a long-term target for manager Rafael Benitez who has been given encouragement that the player, one of Roma's three homegrown stars along with Francisco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, may become available this summer.

He would not be cheap but should cost less than the £30m that Liverpool want for Alonso.

Benitez's hardline stance on Alonso — that the player is contracted to the club until 2012 and will not be allowed to leave — should soften if a deal can be done with Roma for Aquilani.

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Alonso, 27, trained with Liverpool yesterday but all summer has avoided giving any public assurances that he is prepared to stay at the club. Florentino Perez, the Madrid president, has offered around £24m for the player and is expected now to raise his bid to £30m to eventually prise him away from the club.

In the pursuit of Aquilani, the volatile financial position at Roma has made the club difficult to deal with and they are fearful of the repercussions from their supporters if they sell one of the best players in their squad. Accordingly, Alonso will also have to wait to leave until Benitez can guarantee that the signing of Aquilani is a genuine possibility. There have been enquiries from Liverpool about Lee Cattermole, but the Wigan midfielder is still much further down the list of players in whom Benitez has a real interest.

In Aquilani, an Italy international, he has a player capable of fulfilling the crucial linking role between defence and attack that Alonso has performed since joining from Real Sociedad.

Roma are in a crisis over the future of the club after a proposed takeover by the agent Vinicio Fioranelli, who was representing a Swiss conglomerate, collapsed last month.

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