A report in this morning's Times has added Atlético Madrid and former club Valencia to the list of potential suitors for Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez. The boss himself wants to stay at Anfield, however, and is already making plans for the summer.
Several Italian clubs and Barcelona have already been linked with the Reds manager, whose future at Anfield is less than clear after another poor domestic campaign and tense relations with the club's owners.
The Times say that Benítez' priority is to remain where he is since his family are settled on Merseyside, but such is the situation at Liverpool that he cannot rule out a move elsewhere this summer even if Dubai International Capital do eventually succeed with their takeover bid.
Manuel García Quillon, Benítez' agent, has been approached by Valencia, Atlético and Barcelona, with the latter thought to favour the Liverpool boss ahead of José Mourinho in the likely event that current boss Frank Rijkaard steps down at the end of this season. Michael Laudrup, currently boss of Getafe, is also in the running for the Barça hotseat.
Should Benítez remain at Anfield, it is understood he will ask for considerable backing in the transfer market Liverpool seek to close the gap to the league's leading sides, which - as evidenced in Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United and the points difference in the table - is still considerable.
David Bentley of Blackburn Rovers is among those purchases being considered in the summer. Meanwhile, the Spaniard is intent on clearing out some of the Anfield deadwood, with Harry Kewell almost certain to leave and John Arne Riise likely to follow. Benítez would also be prepared to part with Peter Crouch and Xabi Alonso should the right offers come along.
Several Italian clubs and Barcelona have already been linked with the Reds manager, whose future at Anfield is less than clear after another poor domestic campaign and tense relations with the club's owners.
The Times say that Benítez' priority is to remain where he is since his family are settled on Merseyside, but such is the situation at Liverpool that he cannot rule out a move elsewhere this summer even if Dubai International Capital do eventually succeed with their takeover bid.
Manuel García Quillon, Benítez' agent, has been approached by Valencia, Atlético and Barcelona, with the latter thought to favour the Liverpool boss ahead of José Mourinho in the likely event that current boss Frank Rijkaard steps down at the end of this season. Michael Laudrup, currently boss of Getafe, is also in the running for the Barça hotseat.
Should Benítez remain at Anfield, it is understood he will ask for considerable backing in the transfer market Liverpool seek to close the gap to the league's leading sides, which - as evidenced in Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United and the points difference in the table - is still considerable.
David Bentley of Blackburn Rovers is among those purchases being considered in the summer. Meanwhile, the Spaniard is intent on clearing out some of the Anfield deadwood, with Harry Kewell almost certain to leave and John Arne Riise likely to follow. Benítez would also be prepared to part with Peter Crouch and Xabi Alonso should the right offers come along.
1 comment:
Interesting that Barca want Rafa now. I was always under the impression he was a Real Madrid fan and would one day take up the job there once he had fulfilled all he could at Liverpool, so it would be a major surprise for me if he were to join Barca. It's definitely true that if DIC take control in the summer (which seems very likely) then they may decide to ditch Rafa. Suppose it really depends on the remainder of the season and I'm sure another run to the CL final and securing fourth will be enough to keep him in the job.
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