Liverpool expect an opening bid for Peter Crouch from Portsmouth this week, but those hoping that the long-running transfer saga surrounding the England striker will be resolved within days are likely to be disappointed. The bid from Portsmouth, for around £10m, should begin the transfer process but it is very unlikely to be the final act.
Crouch himself is out of the country on holiday and knows that Liverpool are unlikely to accept the first bid for him, given that he is among the players whose transfer fee will make up the majority of their manager Rafael Benitez's transfer budget this summer. The difficulty Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle have encountered in their pursuit of Crouch has been in deciding a reasonable level at which to pitch their fee. Benitez had originally demanded £15m for a player who has only a year left on his contract.
The Portsmouth bid should flush out other clubs. Once Liverpool have more than one bid, then they will have a more realistic view of the market for him and tailor their own budget accordingly.
Portsmouth is an attractive prospect for Crouch, who has happy memories of his time there in 2001 and 2002 when he scored 18 goals in little more than eight months. He would relish the chance to work with Harry Redknapp, who was the manager when he left Fratton Park in 2002, but is also mindful that a move out of the Premier League's top four has to be to a club that will keep him in the international reckoning too.
Villa would want Crouch as part of the deal for Gareth Barry – an exchange Benitez has been so far unwilling to sanction. Even then, the personal terms at Villa would have to be right for Crouch, who will not be pushed into a move. In the worst case scenario, he would be prepared to see out his contract and leave on a Bosman free transfer next summer.
It appears that the chain of transfers will begin once Benitez agrees to sell Crouch for a reasonable fee, although £20m for David Villa is currently out of Liverpool's reach. Villa's Spain strike partner Fernando Torres said yesterday he had no intention of leaving Liverpool, despite Chelsea placing him at the top of the list of players they hope to deliver for their new manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Torres said that the ownership dispute between Tom Hicks and George Gillett had "not affected" him "at all. I want to say very clearly I'm not on the market and it's my desire to continue at Liverpool."
Crouch himself is out of the country on holiday and knows that Liverpool are unlikely to accept the first bid for him, given that he is among the players whose transfer fee will make up the majority of their manager Rafael Benitez's transfer budget this summer. The difficulty Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle have encountered in their pursuit of Crouch has been in deciding a reasonable level at which to pitch their fee. Benitez had originally demanded £15m for a player who has only a year left on his contract.
The Portsmouth bid should flush out other clubs. Once Liverpool have more than one bid, then they will have a more realistic view of the market for him and tailor their own budget accordingly.
Portsmouth is an attractive prospect for Crouch, who has happy memories of his time there in 2001 and 2002 when he scored 18 goals in little more than eight months. He would relish the chance to work with Harry Redknapp, who was the manager when he left Fratton Park in 2002, but is also mindful that a move out of the Premier League's top four has to be to a club that will keep him in the international reckoning too.
Villa would want Crouch as part of the deal for Gareth Barry – an exchange Benitez has been so far unwilling to sanction. Even then, the personal terms at Villa would have to be right for Crouch, who will not be pushed into a move. In the worst case scenario, he would be prepared to see out his contract and leave on a Bosman free transfer next summer.
It appears that the chain of transfers will begin once Benitez agrees to sell Crouch for a reasonable fee, although £20m for David Villa is currently out of Liverpool's reach. Villa's Spain strike partner Fernando Torres said yesterday he had no intention of leaving Liverpool, despite Chelsea placing him at the top of the list of players they hope to deliver for their new manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Torres said that the ownership dispute between Tom Hicks and George Gillett had "not affected" him "at all. I want to say very clearly I'm not on the market and it's my desire to continue at Liverpool."
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