We've been speculating for some time now that Daniel Alves will move to Liverpool. I honestly think he'd be the catch of the summer if we pull it off.
Most Reds seem to be most excited about Mark Gonzalez or even Dirk Kuyt, and as happy as I'd be to see them running out for us, I don't agree.
Daniel Alves, for some reason, is underestimated by most Liverpool fans, despite the fact that Benitez has always recognised his talents and potential value to the club.
Obviously, it would be great if Rafa can get all the players he's currently pursuing, but if I had to take one, without a doubt it would be Alves.
He's versatile, young and hungry. And on top of that is a self-professed Liverpool fan.
So will he end up at Anfield?
To a lot of Brits, the romantic idea of Real Madrid or Barcelona seems more appealing than Merseyside, this assumption - the mystical Latin game, the exotic attraction, etc. seems deeply rooted in our perception. But that's not a reflection of how the rest of the world views things.
The truth is England is where the best footballers in the world want to be - 100 Premiership players in the World Cup bears that out - and Liverpool, especially since the Rafalution, is right at the top of the list, even if we can't compete financially with some others.
Traditionally, and our track record holds up to any team in Europe, Liverpool has always been one of the few really big names in the game - and the club is well respected everywhere.
Man U is thought of as a rich goliath, Arsenal still haven't fully recovered from the boring, boring image, Chelsea, as a big club is still young, and yet Liverpool have always had a reputation for skillful football.
Even when we weren't impressing ourselves, our reputation kept us in the minds of fans everywhere. This is the tradition into which Alves was born. He's a Brazilian with a Spanish passport who's always admired the Liverpool game - we tend to underestimate ourselves sometimes.
If I was Alves and had the choice, I'd ignore Real Madrid, they have a consistent knack of turning diamonds into shit and their club structure is in turmoil right now - no chairman, no manager and no sign of fixing it.
Initially, Barcelona seemed the obvious choice for him, particularly when Saviola went to Seville on loan, with Barca getting first dibs at Alves in the deal. We all knew that Rafa was chasing Alves a year ago, but given the internal understanding between the two Spanish clubs, it seemed highly unlikely that he'd get his man.
Follow up:
However, there have been two fundamental changes since we last approached Seville:
1. As ridiculous as it may sound, at no point during the Seville/Barca Alves/Saviola discussion was Daniel Alves consulted - despite the fact that his contract allowed him to refuse any move he didn't like. This was seen as a slur by the man and left a bitter aftertaste and a mistrust of his own club.
2. Saviola, it now appears, isn't going to Seville, as initially expected. Or at least, talks have broken down - whatever that means these days. This changes the political equilibrium and could save Seville some embarrassment, while allowing Alves to go to Liverpool with everyone's blessing.
Barcelona are aware that Alves has expressed his desire to go to Liverpool and will probably back away, but not before attempting apply political pressure on Seville which will make the southern Spanish club beholden to the Catalans.
Ultimately, Alves will be playing for us next season - its only the infighting that's prolonging the announcement.
