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Xabi Alonso has revealed he is not concerned about a potential five-year jail term as Spanish prosecutors run the rule over alleged tax evasion from the former midfielder.

The ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid star is said to have filed his tax returns between 2010 and 2012 wrongly, and has duped the Spanish state out of around €2m.

Punishment of around five years in prison and a €4m fine have been touted as the correct way for Alonso to make amends but, in quotes published by Spanish news outlet AS, Alonso explained why he was 'not unrelaxed' about clearing his name.

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He said:"In time I expect to show that all was done correctly. I am not unrelaxed about that. Logically you have to look at things, but once the facts have been demonstrated, that must be respected."

Alonso was attending the 2018 Il Bilbao International Football Summit when he was queried on the long-running tax case that could yet see him found guilty despite his protestations.

The alleged issues relate to the image rights that Alonso held during his time with Los Blancos, and his associates in the form of financial adviser Ivan Zaldua Azcuenga and administrator of his shell company - Ignasi Maestre Casnova - are also accused of tampering with his tax affairs.

(You may also be interested in Spanish Prosecutors Asks for Five Years in Prison for Xabi Alonso for Alleged Tax Fraud)

Alonso sold his image rights to a Portuguese-based investment firm in 2012 for around €5m - a plan which would have allowed him to circumvent the higher personal income tax rate that comes out of peoples' wages. That would allow players to pay taxes in a lower threshold due to receiving income from their image rights and then paying tax at the corporate income tax rate instead.

The case against Alonso had originally been dismissed by Spain's authorities but was reopened in January after new evidence came to light.

He is the latest star to be charged with tax offences alongside the likes of former Real boss Jose Mourinho and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.