Rafael Benitez: Liverpool Must Sell Players To Fund Purchases
The Spaniard has said that he has targets in mind but may need to offload current members of his squad to bring them to Anfield...
28 Apr 2009 08:25:10
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Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez looks concerned during the Premier League clash against Sunderland
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Liverpool manager
Rafael Benitez has confessed that he may have to sell some of the players currently at his disposal in order to create both money and room for the transfer targets he has in mind.
According to the British broadsheet
The Telegraph, the club's American owners have promised to back the Spaniard with £20 million for purchases at the end of the season.
However, it is thought that the 49-year-old would like significantly more to spend on acquisitions as he plans to add four key players to his squad.
"More or less, I have an idea of how much we will have to spend," Benitez is quoted as saying.
"I think we’d have to sell players to increase the money we’ll need, but at the moment we’re not talking about names and money. We are working on targets and we will try to do things as quickly and cheaply as possible.
"Every year it is important to sign good players, the right players. We know we have better players than before and it will be difficult to find better players than we have now.
"But we are working very hard during the season, looking for and watching players. We will be ready."
Apparently, full-backs Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena, who have failed to make an impression since arriving on Merseyside last summer, as well as veteran centre-back Sami Hyypia and attacking duo Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin could all be sold during the close season.
Valencia's Raul Albiol has once again been mentioned as a possible replacement for Daniel Agger, who is still yet to sign a new contract.
Aston Villa's Gareth Barry appears to be Benitez's primary target once more, while Portsmouth right-back Glen Johnson and Tottenham Hotspur winger Aaron Lennon are also said to have been identified.
However, it is claimed that Liverpool will not have the funds in place to purchase Argentina international Carlos Tevez, whose loan deal with Manchester United expires this summer.