SEPTEMBER 29
Real
Madrid eye
January move for Agger
Premiership Latest
La Liga Champions Real Madrid are reportedly interested in
signing Danish International Daniel Agger from Liverpool in the January
transfer window, according to Spanish paper Sport.
23-year-old Agger joined the Reds in 2006 from Brondby and his present deal
with Rafa Benitez’s side runs out in 2010, with it understood that the
defender is growing frustrated at the lack of first-team opportunities at
the Premiership club.
Benitez has chosen to play Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel ahead of the
Dane this season in the Premier League, with reports of the defender’s
unrest at Anfield alerting Los Merengues coach Bernd Schuster, who is
seeking a new centre-half for the Bernabeu.
However, Benitez is keen to keep Agger at the Merseyside club, with the
Spaniard claiming recently that he was ready to offer the defender a new
deal at Liverpool, but might be tempted to sell Agger to Real if he can make
a decent profit on the £5.8million the Reds paid Brondby.
SEPTEMBER 25
Spurs duo wanted by
Rafa
Clubcall Sports
Rafa Benitez is lining up a double swoop on Spurs to try
and prise both Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon away from White Hart Lane.
Reports suggest that Bale is top of his wanted list and will come in as a
replacement for Fabio Aurelio and he also wants Lennon to balance out the
summer signing of Albert Riera.
Neither player would come cheap and Bale alone is said to be worth over
£15m, especially after Mark Hughes, when he was Welsh boss, said he had the
best left foot in the game.
With the transfer window not opening for another three months speculation
will only gather pace.
Even if Benitez did want both players to join him at Anfield there is little
reason to suggest why Spurs boss Juande Ramos would be willing to allow them
to leave - especially after losing both Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane
over the summer.
SEPTEMBER 24
Rafa monitoring
fourth Brazilian
By Ben Blackmore - Setanta Sports
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has been sounding out the
possibility of adding a fourth Brazilian to his first team squad in the
shape of Sao Paulo defender Aislan.
The 20-year-old centre back emerged as arguably the most highly-rated of Sao
Paolo’s recent crop of “Juniores”, and he already carries a release clause
of $20,000,000 (£10.5 million).
Benitez has previously delved into the Brazilian market for Diego Cavalieri
and Lucas Leiva, while Fabio Aurelio arrived from La Liga.
Aislan’s agent Paolino Oscar revealed contact was made by Liverpool, but the
move was scuppered by the close of the summer transfer window.
"They had revealed interest in the past one or two months, when the window
was open,” Oscar told UOL Esporte.
“Now, I find that it was more difficult because everything is closed in
Europe."
Liverpool’s initial attempts were held up by the complicated nature of the
transfer, which requires 30 percent of the fee to be paid to Aislan’s former
club.
The towering defender’s agent admits Aislan would like to play in Europe,
but he will not hand in a transfer request if Sao Paulo choose not to sell.
"It is in Sao Paulo’s hands and it is they who decide. If Aislan is told to
leave, very well. If not, that is good also.
“I have respect for Sao Paulo and I do not do blackmail, therefore it is the
club who must make the primary move."
SEPTEMBER 23
Middlesbrough plan
£6million Anfield swoop
Fans FC
Middlesbrough Football Club are in the running to sign
Jermaine Pennant.
Liverpool are willing to let the winger leave Anfield during the January
transfer window, to raise funds for their own venture into the mid-season
market.
Pennant was heavily linked with Blackburn Rovers this summer whilst Aston
Villa are also said to be keen, but Gareth Southgate is determined to take
him to Teesside for around £6million.
The Boro manager is building an impressive squad at the Riverside Stadium,
and he would love to compliment Stewart Downing on the left with Pennant on
the right.
SEPTEMBER 14
Rafa still
waiting for new deal
By Gill Clark - Goal.com
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has reportedly yet to
receive the new deal that was promised to him by the club’s American owners
George Gillett and Tom Hicks, reports the Sunday Mirror.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a turbulent relationship with the owners since
their arrival at Anfield, yet recent reports had suggested that some kind of
peace had broken out between the three on Merseyside.
The Americans appear to have angered Benitez in the past by approaching
Jurgen Klinsman about replacing him as manager and there also appear to have
been difficulties with the club’s proposed new stadium and the issue of
making finances available for new signings.
However, according to the Sunday Mirror the owners and the manager may be
set for more difficulties after the paper revealed that Benitez has yet to
receive a new deal that he had been promised by the owners.
Gillett and Hicks are reportedly at odds over offering the Liverpool manager
a new deal which is causing the delay. Benitez’s current contract has just
under two years left to run.
The manager himself refuses to be drawn on the speculation surrounding his
future, saying only: “I cannot talk to much about me or this situation. My
priority is to talk about the team.”
Benitez enjoyed a memorable day at Anfield yesterday as he secured his first
victory over Manchester United in nine attempts. Despite going a goal behind
in the third minute, the Reds ran out 2-1 winners with Ryan Babel securing
the win with just over ten minutes to go.
SEPTEMBER 11
Sheikh
Mohammed ditches DIC
to make solo bid for club
By David Maddock - Daily Mirror
Sheikh Mohammed will step up his bid to buy Liverpool by
using his own money to invest in the club.
The oil-rich Arab leader of Dubai has ditched DIC - the investment arm of
his government - as the buy-out company he will use if he gets the chance to
purchase the Anfield club from Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Instead, he will dip into his own wealth to get his hands on the Premier
League outfit, with insiders suggesting that will allow him to invest far
more money into Liverpool.
DIC's charter states the government company must "maximise long-term
shareholder value", which in effect means it should turn over a big profit
as soon as possible.
But the current financial climate wouldn't allow that with Liverpool, and
instead the Arab billionaire is ready to sink his own money into the club to
build a new stadium and invest heavily in the team.
Sheikh Mohammed wants to rival the Abu Dhabi owners of Manchester City, and
now sees Liverpool less in terms of a pure investment. But despite being
among the wealthiest men in the world, he still refuses to pay over the odds
to the Americans.
The Mirror understands that Hicks and Gillett are prepared to sell, but only
at £300million above the Arab's valuation of around £450million.
Sheikh Mohammed's advisors though, feel that the Americans are in deep
trouble because of the global credit crunch, and will be forced to sell
unless there is a swift economic upturn.
SEPTEMBER 3
Liverpool the subject
of fresh Dubai bid
By By Mike Norrish - Telegraph.co.uk
Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai, has reportedly
sanctioned an increased offer of £500 million to buy Liverpool.
With the global banking crisis leaving Liverpool’s American owners unable to
finance plans for a new stadium in Stanley Park, the club are in danger of
treading water.
Cash flow is not a concern for Dubai International Capital, one of Sheikh
Mohammed’s investment arms, who are now optimistic that this renewed bid
will be accepted.
A report in this morning’s Sun claims the new offer would clear the club’s
debt and see Hicks and Gillett both walk away with a profit of £75 million.
Manchester City’s takeover by the Abu Dhabi United group makes the situation
of Liverpool’s ownership all the more critical.
With such financial muscle, City can now realistically expect to mount a
serious challenge for one of four Champions League places.
Liverpool and Arsenal are most at risk, but the impact of failure to qualify
for the Champions League would be much greater at Anfield, where matchday
revenues are dwarfed by those raised at the larger and more
corporate-friendly Emirates Stadium.
It is estimated Arsenal generate £50 million more than Liverpool every year
simply through this means, making the need to leave Anfield all the more
pressing.
When they bought the club in 2007, Hicks and Gillett promised work on the
new stadium would begin almost immediately.
But with annual interest payments of £30 million and the current financial
climate as it is, there are fears on Merseyside that the Texan pair are
simply incapable of fulfilling their pledges.
|
