Liverpool are understood to be close to sealing the £17million capture of Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani after finally agreeing to sell Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Reports in the English press have suggested that a deal for Aquilani has been in place for some time with the Reds merely waiting until their £30million valuation for Alonso was met by the Spanish giants.

Aquilani, 25, has long been Rafa Benitez's first choice as a replacement for the departing Alonso as the Spanish tactician believes he has the necessary technical attributes to compliment the tenacity of Javier Mascherano in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

One of the fans' homegrown favourites at the Giallorossi - along with captain Francesco Totti and midfield enforcer Daniele de Rossi - Aquilani's signing will be something of a coup for the Reds given that he plays for a club that has been resistant to selling their best players over the years.

However, such is the financial state of Roma - who were the subject of a failed takeover bid by the agent Vinicio Fioranelli last month - the sale of the Italy international will mean that they do not have to sell again this summer thus quashing any hopes that Arsenal's Arsène Wenger had of prising De Rossi away from the Stadio Olimpico.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Aquilani's move to Anfield will be dependent on him passing a stringent medical examination given his well-documented injury problems over the past couple of seasons.