Rafa Benitez lines up French striker David N’Gog

Jul 23 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

ON a night when he gave a 17-year-old striker the chance to lead the line for Liverpool, manager Rafael Benitez revealed that he is close to sealing a deal for teenage French forward David N’Gog.

The club return to Melwood today following a three-match tour of Switzerland and Germany which concluded last night with a 0-0 draw at Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin.

Although Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in pre-season friendlies to four games with the stalemate, a third victory could have been recorded had Andriy Voronin not seen his 50th-minute penalty saved by the hosts’ substitute goalkeeper Christian Fiedler after the Ukrainian had been fouled by defender Kaka.

Benitez, who gave Spanish starlet Danny Pacheco his compatriot Fernando Torres’s number nine jersey, did not reveal the identity of his latest imminent capture but it is Paris St Germain’s N’Gog.

After the game, he said: “We’re working hard but at this moment we have no news.

“We have a young player and hopefully it will be done tomorrow, I think it will be positive.”

N’Gog, who is expected to command a £1.5million fee, has netted just once in 18 senior appearances for PSG but has scored prolifically in France’s junior national sides.