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Playing as Liverpool in pre-season just before my second season, and Sevilla have just offered £5million upfront and £20million over 24months plus a 25% sell on clause for Xabi Alonso. Is this a good price or should i hold out for more as they have just made £37million selling Daniel Alves to AC Milan?
I can't see that you'll get a player of similar standard to Alonso for £25m - I would want at least £35m. Having said that you may be able to get Pirlo quite cheaply - I got him for £7.5m in Jan 2008 I think. Pirlo is very good but physically suspect, gets knackered quickly and can't play every game.
Really it depends on whether Alonso fits into your style of play or not. He works really well in my Liverpool setup and I probably wouldn't sell him at all if I could avoid it.
He was a regular last season but i have plenty options to play middle of the park - Javier Mascherano, Lucas, Ever Bangera, Reo-Cocker, Gareth Barry and even Gerrard can play there so im not really short on options if i was to sell?
My answer without reading the OP, just based on the title, is:
Whatever someone is willing to pay for him.
In response to the OP, I'll say this. I don't sell my starting eleven. They have to be pried away from me, kicking and screaming. If a youngster breaks into the top group or I sign someone better, and the replaced player doesn't like the bench, though ... he's gone. Listed and reserved as fast as I can click my mouse. I harbor no ill-will in my locker room.
"You don't like it here? Go." Personalities are very important to me. I don't sign anyone who's not, to some degree, professional, determined, or regular. Personality conflicts are rare, mainly some ambitious youngster thinks my "leader" captian is too full of himself. Youngster is sold or free-released as soon as possible. Any others often resolve themselves in a few fortnights.
Having said that, I wouldn't sell him unless you had someone else on the hook who's better. Not for 100M.
Now is the time to sell if you want the big bucks.
£25m doesn't seem like that much (I recently sold my left back for £22m, and he wasn't exactly setting the world on fire) and I find the sell on clauses to be more miss than hit, especially for a player more or less at his peak.
If that's their first offer, then they'll proably accept £35m, all over 24 months and without the clause (although I'd probably push for forty).
What I like to do in these situations, is arrange the transfer for the end of the season, and then try and play him as little as possible so you can see if your cover can handle it on their own, and you have a whole season to find a replacement if they can't.
You may not want to do this if he's one of your higher earners though.
I operate a bit of a selling club though, and it is deffinately possible to be sucessful dmestically and in europe with this strategy, especially long term, as it forces you to keep bringing youngsters through. I also enjoy hunting for bargains though (It is a fair bit of effort, but well worth it in my opinion) and if it's only short term sucess you're after, you may prefer to hang onto your squad for as long as possible.
In a similar situation on my Liverpool game, I ended up selling him for 15 mil up front and another 15 mil over 12 months, with 30% sell-on. I reckon I could have squeezed maybe as much as 10 mil more than that, and I'm kinda regretting not trying to.
What Is Xabi Alonso Worth? 
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