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Benitez backed to keep duo
Liverpool, 13:40, July 5, 2009 ,
Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina has revealed boss Rafa Benitez is determined to keep hold of midfielders Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano.
Alonso and Mascherano are believed to be wanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively this summer which means they could be lining up against each other in La Liga's El Clásico next season rather than alongside each other in the Reds' engine room.
But Reina reckons Real and Barca would have to break the bank in order to break up a sizeable chunk of Benitez's midfield because the Spanish boss feels consistency is key to winning a first league title since 1990.
Reina told EFE: "I believe that he [Benitez] has his mind very clear and his idea in these moments is to not sell. He wants to continue with a team he has known for a long time, with an already fundamental base and where we know almost everything.
"Whoever wants to touch this team or this structure will have to pay a lot of money."