Xabi Alonso: Why Liverpool Must Offer Right Price to Reacquire Real Madrid Star

Real Madrid doesn't seem too keen on keeping Xabi Alonso around for much longer, and Alonso doesn't seem too keen on staying.

Now would be the perfect time for Liverpool to step in and make an offer for the midfielder that Real cannot refuse.

According to The Daily Mail, "Xabi Alonso looks set to turn down a two-year contract extension at Real Madrid in order to leave the club next summer."

And his former club, which The Daily Mail reports could be a landing stop, may offer the perfect landing spot for him.

For one thing, Alonso had an excellent run with the Reds, while it lasted. In five seasons with Liverpool, he made 210 appearances and tallied 19 goals.

He's had similar success with Real: In 2011-12, he tallied a goal and nine assists in league games.

The timing couldn't be more perfect for Alonso's return to the Premier League. By all indications, he has no interest in continuing his career in La Liga, and the Reds are just gearing up for a comeback bid in the Premier League behind Brendan Rodgers.

And as they make that bid for a return to prominence, they could use someone like Alonso, who will give them the veteran scorer they need as well as someone who's a proven winner in any situation: the World Cup and the European Championship included. Alonso is not only familiar with the club already but is also someone who can reliably log minutes.

Last season, Liverpool finished in eighth place in the Premier League, 37 points behind league leaders Manchester City and Manchester United. As they make their comeback, they need the necessary offensive firepower to compete with with the big guns in the league, and what better source than a player who achieved so much success with the club a few years back?

There's no way to know how much of this talk will prove accurate and how much of it is merely wishful thinking. All we know, at this point, is that Alonso isn't interested in extending his contract with his current club. That could indicate that he's looking to skip town before 2014; it could mean that he's committed to finishing out his deal with his current club.

Real may have no interest in parting ways with one of its most reliable players before it has to.

But then again, a transfer just might make sense for all parties involved.