Rafa Benitez back in the hunt for Albert Riera

Jun 10 2008 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL are back in the hunt for want-away Espanyol winger Albert Riera.

Manager Rafael Benitez is lining up a £9million offer for the former Manchester City winger but will resist the Spanish club’s attempts to inflate his value.

Espanyol initially insisted that Riera would only be allowed to leave if a club triggered his release clause of £16million, way beyond what Liverpool are prepared to pay.

They are ready to come down to accepting £12million but Benitez will be loath to pay over the odds for the 26-year-old.

Liverpool’s transfer budget is unaffected by the £33million loss that was revealed yesterday in the accounts of Kop Holdings Ltd – the company set up by George Gillett and Tom Hicks when they bought the club.

But the money needed to prise Gareth Barry from Aston Villa, after the Midlands club already rejected bids of £10m and £12m, means Benitez is unwilling to enter into a bidding war for Riera.

He is wanted by a number of clubs across Europe, alerted to his availability following an outburst against Espanyol at the end of the last campaign when supporters protested against the team’s performances.

Riera said: “I want to leave Espanyol.

“I don’t want to be part of a club that does not take care of or protect its players.

“I do not know if I will go to Liverpool or some other team.

“But I do not want to be at a club where supporters have no love for the players.”

Riera, who is a left-sided midfielder, played in the Premier League for Manchester City when he was on loan from Espanyol towards the end of the 2005-06 season.

Benitez is keen to add to his options in wide areas, and having already tied up deals for full-backs Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena, is switching his attention to his forward line.

Barry has played on the left of midfield during his career but is now established as a central player, whereas Riera is more of an out-and-out left-sided attacker.

But Benitez’s stance on players’ valuation has the full support of the man he paid a club record transfer fee for last summer, Fernando Torres.

The Spaniard, who is set to start up front for his country when they kick off their Euro 2008 against Russia today, is aware of the need to spend funds wisely to compete with the business Manchester United and Chelsea will do in the close season.

“If we can’t keep up with them (United and Chelsea) economically, then we have to get it absolutely right in the transfer market,” said Torres.

“It’s clear that they have a lot of 20 or 25million pound players, and that difference is what separates us in the table.

“I hope that the club does what needs to be done and we can quickly catch them up.”

Torres also revealed how the warring factions in the Anfield boardroom were unable to take his focus off his football, as he finished the season with 33 goals.

Hicks and Gillett were at the centre of more controversy yesterday when the accounts revealed the co-owners claimed more than £1.5million in expenses during the first seven months of their tenure.

But of last season’s turmoil, Torres said: “It may have had more of an effect upon my team-mates.

“But the truth is, that between the language and the fact that I don’t pay much attention to that stuff, or to any of the problems, it hasn’t affected me.

“At Atletico Madrid I saw how even smaller problems can affect everyone, right down to the last employee, and that can be damaging.

“But Liverpool is a big club that knows how to isolate you from those issues in order to stay competitive.”