Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt said Aquilani can help the club in their bid to win the Premier League title, having been pipped by Manchester United last season.

'It's good because we will be signing a new player with a lot of quality,' Kuyt said. 'Xabi is a very good player but these kind of things happen in football. Teams are changing all the time. Xabi played very well for Liverpool but that's all history now and we have to move on.

'We have to look forward. That's what Xabi is doing with Real Madrid and we have to do the same.

'We have a lot of good players still here and we are all determined to go one better in the league after coming so close to winning the title last season.'