by Paul C » Thu Dec 16, 2004 11:45 am
This is from the mirror:
KOP TALKING TO REAL OVER £12M STRIKER
By David Maddock
LIVERPOOL have opened talks over Fernando Morientes after their season lurched close to crisis this week.
Talks with Real Madrid have begun over the Spanish international forward, with the Anfield club quoted an opening price of £12million for his services.
The Liverpool board have laughed at such a figure, but they are painfully aware of the need for top-class recruits after even the club's players voiced their concern at the lack of strength in depth.
The failings of the current Anfield squad were cruelly exposed over the last four days with defeat at Everton and an embarrassing home draw against Portsmouth. Defender Jamie Carragher, one of the main successes of an indifferent season, voiced the fears of the entire squad yesterday, when he insisted that signings are made in the January transfer window.
"Liverpool is a big club and we've got to be challenging for the title. No matter what's happened so far this season, I think everyone knows we're still short of players," he said.
"We've beaten Arsenal, but I don't think any of us was thinking that meant we had a squad which is good enough to challenge for the title.
"I'm not talking necessarily about replacing individuals, but more about getting numbers in. We need a bigger squad. We lost a lot of players during the summer who still haven't been replaced, and while it's not an excuse, the number of injuries we've had shows the problem.
"There are still a lot of players out now. Michael Owen hasn't been replaced and we lost Steven Gerrard for a long time. He hardly missed a game last season. It's no secret the manager is looking to strengthen in January."
Liverpool know they have no option but to plunge into the transfer market, with Morientes still the top target.
The problem will be the massive price tag after Madrid's initial insistence that the player is not for sale under any circumstances.
Real are now planning to sign Inter Milan striker Adriano in the January window, and that will make Morientes surplus to requirements after a season so far of warming the bench.
Madrid president Florentino Perez always starts at a ridiculously high asking price, but he has his own need to push the deal through, because the Spanish giants are more strapped for cash than people realise.
Liverpool, for their part, have little or no money to buy players, but have a pressing need to bring them in - and that will eventually force them to cough up the cash.
It will lead to an excruciating process of hard negotiating, but the will on both sides is to get a deal done, and the likelihood still is that Morientes will be at Anfield by the end of January.
If a fee can't be agreed, then Liverpool will pursue other strikers, with Manchester City's Nicolas Anelka still on their list, even though manager Rafael Benitez has strong reservations about the player's character.
Benitez has also monitored Real Zaragoza striker David Villa, though he is injured at the moment. There are also rumours of discreet enquiries about bringing Robbie Fowler back to Anfield on loan - a move that would certainly enthuse the Liverpool fans.