Alonso was close to joining Juventus last summer and has recently been linked with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“We had an offer from Juventus and asked a big price as he is a big player. They couldn’t meet it,” Benitez said.
“In the end, Xabi has been having a very good season. He has been playing well in a lot of games and is a key player for us.
“We have a lot of confidence in him and he is a player we want to keep because he has the quality, and the game, that we need.”
