Soccer:Xabi Alonso's Liverpool career appeared to be coming towards an end as he arrived for training today. The midfielder expects to hold talks with manager Rafael Benitez as Real Madrid prepare a new, improved, bid for the 27-year-old.

And a club source has now confirmed that Alonso has submitted a transfer request, with the Spanish player having previously only told Benitez verbally that he wanted to leave the club.

Now if Madrid produce an offer of at least €30million, the chances are that Benitez will agree to sell the man he signed from Real Sociedad for €11.5million in August 2004.

Alonso flew back from Spain on Thursday, having spent three days with his family in San Sebastian, determined to end a summer-long saga.

Benitez has defiantly refused to let Alonso leave, and Real's only official bid of €28million was rejected. But a formal transfer request changes the situation.

Since that first bid, both parties have been engaged in a war of words over the deal, with Real president Florentino Perez maintaining that Liverpool's valuation was much too high.

Benitez had talks with Alonso during Liverpool's Far East tour last week, and tried to convince the player to stay, underlining the fans' delirious response to the player in Bangkok and Singapore as a reason to think again.

But on Liverpool's return to the UK, Benitez told Alonso that he wanted the uncertainty around the player's future to be sorted out before the weekend, one way or another.

Now the deadlock looks like being broken, just 24 hours after the two clubs agreed a £3.5million fee for Anfield full-back Alvaro Arbeloa to move to Real.

By the time that the Alonso fee is in Liverpool's coffers, and also €4.7million for Andrea Dossena's move to Napoli, Benitez will have around €47m to spend on the transfer market.

Benitez has already raised around £8million from the sales of Arbeloa, Sebastian Leto, Jack Hobbs and Paul Anderson.

He has been linked with Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole, Hull defender Michael Turner, Valencia's David Silva and Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

Benitez he needs to move quickly to find a replacement for Alonso otherwise the club's preparation for the campaign will be disrupted.

Arbeloa's move to the Bernabeu has been conducted with far less rancour. The player passed a medical yesterday and has now signed a five-year contract.

"I think I have become a better footballer and also matured,” said the 26-year-old. “When you play at a club like Liverpool you have the chance to play with great players, I've also been called up by Spain and we've won the European Championships, so in these years I have learned a huge amount.

"It has made me a much better player and I hope to be able to show it, which in the end is the important thing."

The transfer will see Arbeloa rejoin the club where he began his professional career after Real plucked him from Real Zaragoza's youth set-up.