Liverpool yet to make new Gareth Barry offer

Jul 1 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool’s pursuit of Barry depends on whether they can raise funds by offloading some of their fringe players and Portsmouth have insisted that they remain in the hunt to bring Peter Crouch back to Fratton Park despite having a £9million bid rejected last week.

Chief executive Peter Storrie said: “Harry (Redknapp) has made it clear he wants Peter Crouch. He’s the sort of quality we want to add to the team.

“We have made a fair bid for him and that was turned down but we are still interested.

“It’s now the case that we have made known our position and Liverpool have made known theirs – we will see what happens after that. This is not the end of it.

“We are still interested, he’s a quality player.”

However, reports that Harry Kewell whose contract with Liverpool expires today could be set for a move to the FA Cup winners have been dismissed.

Storrie said: “As for Kewell, that is two years out of date. Back then we were interested and then he had that bad injury. That was the end of that. Nothing’s happening now, though.”

One new arrival confirmed at Anfield yesterday is former Liverpool player Mauricio Pellegrino who has returned to the club where he made 12 appearances in 2005 as first team coach.

Benitez, who also worked with the Argentinian at Valencia, from whom he arrives again having been working as youth team coach, said: “His role will be first-team coach, and he’ll also carry out specialist training sessions.

“He can also work specifically with the defence, and also the reserves.

“Pellegrino has a winning mentality. He won the Intercontinental Cup before going to Spain with Barcelona and Valencia.

“He has a lot of passion.

“When I asked him to come he was very pleased, but first he wanted to find out if there was a school where his three children could play good football. He is a football man.”