Neill to choose his heart over his wallet ?
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Lucas Neill will have to choose his heart over his wallet if he wants to move to Anfield.
The Reds have been chasing the Blackburn defender, 28, and hoped to clinch a straight swap — with Kop full-back Stephen Warnock, 25, going to Ewood — later this week.
But now West Ham have entered the chase and aim to tempt him to Upton Park with sky-high personal terms.
Benitez sees the Aussie as cover and the playerÂ’s pay packet would reflect that.
Yet the Hammers will beat any terms Liverpool will offer, as well as matching Rovers’ valuation of around £1.5million. -
i am sure liverpool can afford to match west ham's offer too.
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pool got more games so got more playing chance
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Hammers set to pip Kop to Neill
LUCAS NEILL will sign for West Ham after delivering an amazing snub to Liverpool. The Aussie full-back had been locked in talks with Kop chiefs about a £2million, £35,000-a-week switch from Blackburn. But he turned his back on Rafa Benitez and a supposed “dream” move to Merseyside after being offered £50,000-a-week to switch to East London.
Neill, 28, was last night putting the finishing touches on a 2½-year contract to join Alan Curbishley’s relegation dogfight. The signing is a major boost for Curbs after continually banging his head against the transfer window since it opened.
A source close to Neill said: “Lucas said in the summer he wanted out at Blackburn and is delighted to have finally sorted everything out. “He had talks with Liverpool but couldn’t agree personal terms so when West Ham came in he was very interested.”
NeillÂ’s arrival shows money talks in the Premiership with the Aussie international willing to swap chasing a Champions League spot for a grim battle to avoid the drop. The news is a bitter blow for Benitez, who wanted Neill to shore up his leaky Liverpool backline.
The Kop boss had become increasingly impatient as the Rovers skipper dithered. Benitez said: “We are continuing to work on these things but we will not wait. If a player wants to come to play for Liverpool, he must say yes quickly. “If he thinks about it for too long, maybe it’s a signal it’s time for us to look for other players. We have alternatives.”