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While calling it Liverpool news might be a bit of a stretch, ever since he left Anfield, fans have dreamt of a reunion with midfielder Xabi Alonso. And today, any chances of that reunion happening before his eventual retirement can safely be said to have completely disappeared after the Basque playmaker signed a two-year extension to his current deal to remain at the Bernabeu until 2016.
Alonso's contract had been set to expire this summer, but the new deal means Madrid won't have to worry about his future until at least the end of next season when there's a year left on it. Given Alonso is now 32 years of age, signing him this summer when his old contract was set to expire would have been the last reasonable opportunity for him to return to Anfield following persistent rumours the past few transfer windows.
With reported interest in the player from Chelsea and Manchester City—plus more of the inevitable links to Liverpool—Madrid prioritised locking down the midfielder they brought to Spain for £30M in the summer of 2009. After playing 143 league matches for Liverpool, Alonso currently stands on 140 La Liga games for Madrid and will likely pass his mark with the Reds before the end of the month.
When his new contract does expire in 2016, perhaps the most likely destination for Alonson will be a return to Real Sociedad, the club he started out at before he and Luis Garcia became the first pieces of Rafa Benitez' re-imagined Liverpool in 2004.
