Speculation also suggested a move to Juventus could be on the cards, particularly with his place in the team under threat following the January arrival of Javier Mascherano.

BBC: Alonso was one of boss Rafael Benitez's first signings

On a bitterly cold January morning Spanish businessman Javier Capella sits in a warm General Growth boardroom in Chicago overlooking the river, talking about his dream to make his handbags as hot in the U.S. as they are back home.

FORBES: Good Neighbors

The January 10 date "really matters, " said Javier Corrales, a political science professor at Amherst College.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS