Benitez still in hunt for Barry after Keane deal

Jul 29 2008

Rafael Benitez has confirmed he must sell again to bring Gareth Barry to Liverpool after completing the £20.3 million signing of Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Reds manager insists that is what he aims to do, but he has no intention of selling Spain international Alvaro Arbeloa.

Liverpool are believed to have had a £7million bid from Sevilla for the 25-year-old, but Benitez has made it clear the player is going nowhere.
But there is no question that Benitez still wants to sign former Aston Villa skipper Barry, the subject of a summer-long saga which has frayed tempers at Villa Park and Anfield.

Benitez could sell Jermaine Pennant, Andriy Voronin or Steve Finnan, but it is still more likely that he will persuade Xabi Alonso to leave if he can get a £15 million-plus bid for the Spanish midfielder.

After completing the Keane deal, Benitez talked in terms of one more major departure rather than a string of smaller deals, to finance an £18 million move for Barry.

Benitez said: “We are still trying to sign the players that we need, and if we need to sell someone now, OK, we will do so.

“If we can do it (the Barry deal) before the end of the transfer window, we will continue to try. We will always continue to improve our squad.”
Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers are in talks with Tottenham over the transfer of England midfielder David Bentley.

Blackburn have already rejected offers from Spurs and Villa for £17 million-rated Bentley.

Wigan Athletic have clinched the signing of England Under-21 midfielder Lee Cattermole from Middlesbrough for a fee around £3.5 million, while Hull City have signed defender Anthony Gardner on loan from Tottenham.