RAFA'S £70m SPREE
RAFA BENITEZ expects as much as £70million to rebuild his Liverpool squad this summer.
The Spanish boss will get around £20m from his American owners and hopes to raise £50m more in player sales.
Benitez wants £16m for Xabi Alonso, £15m for Peter Crouch, £6m for goalkeeper Scott Carson, £5m each for John Arne Riise and Jermaine Pennant, and £2m for Steve Finnan.
Andriy Voronin can also leave for around £1m after a woeful debut season at Anfield.
Realistically, Liverpool are more likely to raise around £40m if they can offload all those players.
Despite the ongoing feud behind the scenes at the club, there is no indication the levels of spending will be much different from recent years.
Benitez has already spent £18m to make Javier Mascherano's loan deal permanent.
And he has accounted for a chunk of his possible finances with the pursuit of £8m left-back Andrea Dossena from Udinese and Gareth Barry, who could cost £16m from Aston Villa.
Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing is a possible recruit for around £12m. Espanyol's Albert Riera is an alternative.
That will leave Benitez to rely on whatever other funds he can raise for a striker to replace Crouch.
Ideal
In the meantime he sees Steven Gerrard as Fernando Torres' ideal strike partner.
The pursuit of Barry as a central midfielder to replace Alonso reveals Benitez's priority, though the deal remains on ice.
Alonso wants to stay at Anfield, but Juventus are expected to make a formal bid this week.
Gerrard's preference for a more central role is well known, and there are those at the club who believe the captain should be shifted back into his favoured position and a more orthodox striker, such as Dimitar Berbatov, signed with the bulk of the budget.
The Anfield skipper has found himself used in numerous positions throughout his career, sacrificed for the good of the team, but still without the ultimate reward of a sustained title challenge.
His discontent with Liverpool's shabby off-field affairs is unlikely to change if sacrificing his positional preference at the start of next season doesn't lead to an improvement in league form.
Link
RAFA BENITEZ expects as much as £70million to rebuild his Liverpool squad this summer.
The Spanish boss will get around £20m from his American owners and hopes to raise £50m more in player sales.
Benitez wants £16m for Xabi Alonso, £15m for Peter Crouch, £6m for goalkeeper Scott Carson, £5m each for John Arne Riise and Jermaine Pennant, and £2m for Steve Finnan.
Andriy Voronin can also leave for around £1m after a woeful debut season at Anfield.
Realistically, Liverpool are more likely to raise around £40m if they can offload all those players.
Despite the ongoing feud behind the scenes at the club, there is no indication the levels of spending will be much different from recent years.
Benitez has already spent £18m to make Javier Mascherano's loan deal permanent.
And he has accounted for a chunk of his possible finances with the pursuit of £8m left-back Andrea Dossena from Udinese and Gareth Barry, who could cost £16m from Aston Villa.
Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing is a possible recruit for around £12m. Espanyol's Albert Riera is an alternative.
That will leave Benitez to rely on whatever other funds he can raise for a striker to replace Crouch.
Ideal
In the meantime he sees Steven Gerrard as Fernando Torres' ideal strike partner.
The pursuit of Barry as a central midfielder to replace Alonso reveals Benitez's priority, though the deal remains on ice.
Alonso wants to stay at Anfield, but Juventus are expected to make a formal bid this week.
Gerrard's preference for a more central role is well known, and there are those at the club who believe the captain should be shifted back into his favoured position and a more orthodox striker, such as Dimitar Berbatov, signed with the bulk of the budget.
The Anfield skipper has found himself used in numerous positions throughout his career, sacrificed for the good of the team, but still without the ultimate reward of a sustained title challenge.
His discontent with Liverpool's shabby off-field affairs is unlikely to change if sacrificing his positional preference at the start of next season doesn't lead to an improvement in league form.
Link
