Saturday, December 17, 2011

Liverpool & Arsenal Interest In Asian Genius Denied

Keisuke Honda's agent has denied claims that Liverpool or Arsenal are pursuing the player.

CSKA Moscow's attacking midfielder was heavily linked with a move to England in the summer transfer window, with both Kenny Dalglish and Arsene Wenger reported to be admirers of the 25-year-old.

However, agent Kees Ploegsma has moved quickly to deny the speculation, insisting there has been no contact over a possible move away from Russia.

"There is no interest in Keisuke to report. I have nothing else to add, there is no interest," he told the International Business Times when questioned on Liverpool and Arsenal.

Interest from the Gunners stems back to the FIFA World Cup in 2010, when Wenger described the Japanese playmaker as a 'genius' on national TV.

Following Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri's exits from the Emirates Stadium, Honda once again emerged on the Arsenal radar as the Frenchman looked to rebuild his midfield.

However, the north London outfit instead added Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun on loan, and whilst Park Chu-Young is yet to impress for Arsenal, a move no longer seems likely.

As for Liverpool, they are known to be in the market for players from Asia after chief sponsor Standard Chartered suggested the club would be able to expand their marketing capabilities with a player from the continent.

Chinese youth players have since spent time at Anfield on trial, although a senior international would help Liverpool take major steps into an 'untapped market', as suggested by director of football Damien Comolli.

The IBT goes on to site a recent report in The Sunday Mirror that the player has again emerged on the Liverpool radar, although initial interest stems back to Rafael Benitez's reign on Merseyside, and an offer doesn't appear to be close if the agent's comments are anything to go by.

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