APRIL 25
Big boys
linked with Davies swoop
Sporting Life
Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly set to battle it out for the
signature of £4million-rated West Brom defender Curtis Davies in the summer.
Davies - a £3million recruit from Luton last August - has excelled this
season for the doomed Baggies, making 33 appearances and scoring three
goals.
Saturday's 3-0 reverse at Newcastle has all but resigned Bryan Robson's men
to the Championship and the Premiership big guns are already circling The
Hawthorns, ready to swoop for the 21-year-old.
Davies signed a four-year contract with the Baggies after leaving Kenilworth
Road and an offer in excess of £4million could prise the England hopeful
away from the Black Country.
APRIL 21
Rafa set to roll
dice on Ludo
Sporting Life
Liverpool could be set to swoop for Barcelona's San Siro hero Ludovic
Giuly.
The French ace put himself right in the shop window with Barca's winner
against AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on
Tuesday.
But despite that strike he says he's yet to receive the offer of a new deal
from the La Liga champions.
Giuly's current Nou Camp deal runs out next summer, and according to Catalan
daily El Mundo Deportivo he's hoping for a new two-year contract.
The paper says Giuly's agent will meet Barca chief Joan Laporta next month,
but already several other clubs are reportedly ready to move in.
French daily L'Equipe says Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez would love to take
him to Anfield next season.
It also says Giuly's Barca future hinges to a large extent on whether the
club manage to lure Thierry Henry away from Arsenal this summer.
That would leave them with a galaxy of attacking stars, and could hasten the
departure of Giuly.
The player himself says he's already had several offers, and Inter Milan,
Monaco, Glasgow Rangers, Lyon and Galatasaray have been linked with him.
APRIL 20
Bonera interest hots up
By Nadia Carminati - Sky Sports
A transfer scramble for Parma's Daniele Bonera is anticipated this
summer, and Liverpool reportedly remain in pole position to sign the
impressive defender.
The Reds had a €7 million bid rejected for the centre back in September, and
were also linked with a move in January when they were reputedly close to
clinching a deal for the Gialloblu star.
If Parma opt to part with their star stopper than they can expect to receive
an avalanche of offers, with the Italian media speculating that Juventus,
Internazionale, Roma and Palermo are all keen on the Italian international.
Bonera's current deal at Stadio Ennio Tardini expires in 2007 and if they
are to maximise his financial value in the transfer market then they would
have to auction him off in June.
Parma would be loath to lose the highly rated defender, and Liverpool signed
Daniel Agger in January with Gabriel Paletta set to arrive in the summer,
but The Reds reportedly remain top of the pile should they decide to pursue
Bonera when the transfer window opens.
APRIL 13
Pennant is
the right man for Benitez
By Alan Nixon - Daily Mirror
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is weighing up a shock move for Birmingham
City's wayward winger Jermaine Pennant.
Benitez's spies have been monitoring the talented 23-year-old as they look
for an answer to their right wing problems. Pennant is on the Reds hit-list
as top target Simao Sabrosa is too expensive for their budget.
Pennant cost Birmingham around £3million when he joined from Arsenal and an
offer of £4m would be enough to get him without emptying the Kop coffers.
For all of his off-thefield troubles, Pennant's ability has never been in
doubt.
Benitez is desperate for a genuine rightsided player after struggling
through the season with makeshift solutions, headed by skipper Steven
Gerrard and Luis Garcia.
The Liverpool chief wants Simao but his performances in the Champions
League, including helping oust Liverpool from the competition, mean Benfica
could hold out for more money - and they will not budge from a £10m-plus
valuation.
Pennant is the best option within the Premiership. His close control and
crossing mark him out as being just what Liverpool need as Benitez wants to
get more quality in his wide positions.
APRIL 6
Juve hoping to lure
Gerrard
Sporting Life
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is reportedly being linked with a move
to Juventus.
The Italian giants suffered a huge setback against Arsenal in the Champions
League on Wednesday and according to The Sun they see Gerrard as the man to
guide them to glory next term.
The England star has agonised over a transfer to Chelsea over the past two
seasons but last year's stunning European Cup success in Istanbul convinced
him to stay.
But now Fabio Capello, who is on the brink of leading the Bianconeri to the
Serie A title, wants to bring the 25-year-old to the Stadio Delle Alpi in a
bid to freshen up his squad and could even be prepared to sell Patrick
Vieira to help fund the deal.
However Liverpool have no intention of selling Gerrard after he signed a new
four-year contract back in July although Juve would tempt them with a
whopping £30million offer.
APRIL 5
Reds linked
with Real Madrid ace
Kop Talk
Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid ace Raul.
Reports originating from Spain claim that Rafael Benitez has turned to the
Spanish hitman after Valencia's David Villa closed the door on a possible
move to Anfield.
Raul is a regular visitor at Anfield these days when he has free time. He's
mates with all of the Spanish lads but he's especially close to Fernando
Morientes.
Real Madrid are likely to listen to offers.
APRIL 4
Cisse cut by Rafa
By David Maddock - Daily Mirror
Rafael Benitez will undergo a major clear-out this summer to sweep away
the Anfield dead wood he inherited from Gerard Houllier.
The Liverpool boss is ready to swing the axe and lose a whole SQUAD of
players he considers no longer up to the job.
Djbril Cisse will be the highest-profile casualty as the club looks to raise
money to reinvest in a big-name striker to guarantee goals with Feyenoord's
Dutch international Dirk Kuiyt a prime target.
Defender Djimi Traore will be told he has no future at the club.
Also under threat are: Anthony Le Tallec, Florent Sinama Pongolle, Salif
Diao, Bruno Cheyrou, Chris Kirkland, Jerzy Dudek, Neil Mellor, Zak
Whitbread, David Raven, Carl Medjani, Darren Potter and Robbie Foy.
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