Benitez ready to offload flops Aquilani, Riera and Babel

• zocoss

  22 Mar 10, 00:22

  'Torres is going nowhere': Benitez ready to offload flops Aquilani, Riera and Babel in a bid to keep striker at Liverpool
  

   

  

  Poster boy: Liverpool's Fernando Torres

   

  Liverpool have given Fernando Torres assurances they will be active in the transfer market this summer to try to convince him his future lies at Anfield.

  As Liverpool go to Manchester United on Sunday, both manager Rafa Benitez and managing director Christian Purslow have talked with their star striker.

  Torres is considered vital to Liverpool's interests as a 'global brand' and they told him the team will be strengthened, despite uncertainty surrounding the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona have all been linked with the hero of Spain's Euro 2008-winning campaign.

  But Liverpool are adamant Torres will not be sold even for £60million because of the damage it would do to their reputation as a world force.

  He is seen as their poster boy in the same way as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

   

  

  Disappointment: Alberto Aquilani has failed to justify his £20m fee

   

   

  To placate Torres, Liverpool are looking to sell squad players like Albert Riera, Ryan Babel and Alberto Aquilani this summer to raise £30m, which will then be invested in top-line talent.

  A pre-contract agreement has already been reached with Serbian star Milan Jovanovic and Javier Mascherano is expected to sign a new £90,000-a-week deal.

  Benitez said: 'We can talk with Torres and go forward. He is happy and we don't want to sell him.'

• Patrik

  22 Mar 10, 00:24

  Is it of any wonder that the 3 mentioned are all my favourite players?

  Fuck it man.

• Poignant

  22 Mar 10, 00:26

  crazy? he doesnt know how and when to play them.

  ryan and alberto is no flops.

  albert cannot be considered a flop because he isnt good even in the first place

• kopiosatu

  22 Mar 10, 01:08

  aquilani barely played

  flop simi

• mrwonderful

  22 Mar 10, 01:39

  aqua man come a while then get booted out? weird.

  pool is really in decadence. dont know how end up with defence made up of youngsters and mediocre midfielders.

  looks like a mid tier team ie. Blackburn or Stoke if not for gerrard and torres

• Poignant

  22 Mar 10, 12:28

  

• the Bear

  22 Mar 10, 12:54

  benitez should think about offloading benitez

• Poignant

  22 Mar 10, 13:31

  rafael should think about offloading benitez

• Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1)

  22 Mar 10, 22:38

  wth
  
  
  Aquilani ???
  
  i really nver see him play sometime
  
  
  zzzzz
  
  
  Riera can la
  
  Babel .. ???

• dinky1409

  22 Mar 10, 23:51

  i duno abt aquilani but isnt it too fast? babel and riera flops meh? wth. so harsh.

• As romanista2001

  23 Mar 10, 01:22

  hope Roma buy back Aquilani at 1/4 of the price.............if that happens, Roma should sell more players to Rafa................