FEBRUARY 17
Inter seek to tempt
Rafa
Sporting Life
Inter Milan are ready to lure Rafa Benitez away from Liverpool with a £50
million transfer budget.
The Nerazzurri are currently second in Serie A but trail leaders Juventus by
12 points following last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Fabio Capello's men.
And this is not good enough for Inter patron Massimo Moratti who is now
ready to show coach Roberto Mancini the door unless he can win the Champions
League.
They face Ajax next week in the first knockout stages and defeat would
signal the end of his two-year reign at the San Siro.
The Corriere dello Sport reported that Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is
highly regarded in Italy and is one of the front runners for the post along
with PSV Eindhoven coach Guus Hiddink and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
And an Inter source told the Daily Mirror: "Benitez has already proved he is
a top manager in Spain and England and Inter believe he can now do the same
in Italy.
"Winning the European Cup against Milan will make him immediately popular
with Inter fans. And his achievements with Valencia, where he twice won the
title over Real Madrid and Barcelona, proves he has real pedigree."
FEBRUARY 13
Reds eye Valencia ace
By Peter ORourke - Sky Sports
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is reported to be ready to raid his old club
Valencia for Yago Fernandez.
Reports in Portugal claim Liverpool have expressed an interest in the
18-year-old.
Fernandez is highly regarded within the corridors of La Mestalla and is tied
down until 2011.
Liverpool are believed to have watched Fernandez in action and are thought
to be weighing up an offer for the youngster.
The player's father Carlos Fernandez claims that Fernandez is not happy with
Valencia and that he would be interested in a move to Liverpool.
"We are going to see what Liverpool can offer in sporting terms," said
Carlos Fernandez.
"If it is good for him then maybe a transfer can happen because Valencia
promised him things that have not happened. They will have to speak to
Valencia first."
FEBRUARY 12
German
giants planning Anfield raid
Kop Talk
Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse is reportedly attracting interest from
German side Bayern Munich.
Reports claim that the Bundesliga outfit have offered the Frenchman a way
out of Anfield although there are no quotes as yet from Bayern officials to
substantiate the rumours.
Cisse has endured a miserable spell at Anfield since moving from Auxerre but
he insists he doesn't want to leave the club after settling down with a
local girl.
Rafa offered Spurs Cisse for Jermaine Defoe (straight swap) during the
January transfer window but that proposal was rejected.
FEBRUARY 7
Duo tipped for
Liverpool exit
TEAMtalk
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is reportedly set to offload misfiring strike
duo Djibril Cisse and Fernando Morientes at the end of the season.
The Reds have scored just 30 goals in 23 league games this term, a statistic
which has hindered their hopes of keeping pace with Chelsea at the top of
the Premiership.
And Benitez knows he needs more from his frontmen if he is to mount a
serious title challenge next season.
"It is true we need to score more goals," he said.
"Our statistics in terms of creating chances and shots are good, but it is
clear we need to take more of them.
"I have told the players this is a long race and we cannot dwell too long on
all the things we have done badly."
If the pair were to leave Anfield, Benitez may look to bring Newcastle's
Michael Owen back to the club, potentially re-uniting him with Kop legend
Robbie Fowler.
He is also said to be a fan of Feyenoord's Dirk Kuyt, as well as Tottenham's
Jermain Defoe and Andrew Johnson of Crystal Palace.
Cisse has long been linked with a return to France, while there are no
shortage of clubs in Spain that would be interested in bringing Morientes
back to La Liga if the Reds made him available.
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