Alonso said to have landed huge pay rise because of Chelsea & City’s reported interest

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Real Madrid had to give former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso a huge pay rise to avoid the possibility of him joining Chelsea, the Daily Mail says. 

Alonso, who won the Champions League during his time at Anfield and played under Blues boss Jose Mourinho at Real, signed a new two-year deal with the Spanish club on Wednesday.

It was repeatedly claimed that Mourinho wanted to take him to Stamford Bridge and shortly before Alonso re-signed it was reported that Chelsea were on course to acquire him for a modest transfer fee.

Alonso, 32, was also linked with Manchester City, a return to Liverpool and a move to the United States during his contract negotiations.

And that contract reportedly saw him increase his net salary by £1.6m, from £3.3m to £4.95m.

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