Sunday, August 03, 2008

Roma Now Linked With Benayoun


The speculation surrounding Yossi Benayoun’s Liverpool future refuses to go away with Roma the latest club reported to be interested in the Israeli.

The news comes despite the fact that the midfielder’s agent hit out earlier in the week after reports that both Manchester City and former club West Ham were interested in a move for Benayoun.

However, that doesn’t appear to have stopped the speculation mounting, with Roma the latest club reportedly in the hunt for former West Ham man.

The latest speculation suggests that the Serie A club are preparing a bid for the Israeli with skysports.com claiming that manager Luciano Spalletti is a big fan. With Amantino Mancini having left the club in the summer for Inter Milan, it is claimed that Roma see Benayoun as the perfect replacement.

Channel4.com are also suggesting that Benayoun might shortly be heading for the Italian capital. Spalletti has reportedly described the sort of player who he is looking for and admitted a wide man is very much in his mind. He said: “We are looking for someone very physical who can play as a wide striker.”

Whilst Benayoun is clearly not their first choice he may be the most practical as Spalletti himself acknowledged when revealing the other options the club had discussed.

“Everyone likes David Silva, but he is too expensive. Lukas Podolski is an excellent player, but would not fit into our style of play,” said Spalletti before adding, “Florent Malouda and Julio Baptista would be good choices, but their future depends on how other transfer deals go.”

Should Benayoun decide to swap Liverpool for Rome he will join former team mate John Arne Riise who joined Roma last month in a deal thought to be worth £4 million.

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