Although we all know what happened with Gareth Barry, so perhaps we shouldn’t hold our breath on this one! It’s hardly a secret that Liverpool are on the look-out for players to give the side more width, which makes the lengthy chase of the Aston Villa midfielder seem like an odd move. Nevertheless, it appears that the Reds are in pole position to land this Espanyol winger, despite interest from their Merseyside rivals.
The Liverpool Daily Post report that Albert Riera could become Rafael Benitez’s latest signing at Anfield, providing the club are prepared to stump up more cash than the £9 million currently on the table. Failure to do so could leave the door open for Everton, who are still short on numbers, especially in the midfield area.
While Everton are thought to have met Espanyol’s asking price, Riera has set his heart on a move to their Merseyside neighbours.
However, that will only happen if Liverpool increase their bid of around £9million for a player which Espanyol value nearer the £12m mark.
“We have received two interesting offers, both of which are from English clubs,” said Llibre. “What we always do is defend our interests. We won’t sell any player if the bid is not the amount we have asked for.
“If they want Albert Riera, they’ll have to pay what Espanyol is asking.”
It seems to be a common trend this summer, that clubs offer much less than the asking price for a player, while the selling club put their foot down and state that they are not prepared to lower their price. Will this be another potential transfer which comes to a deadlock, or will Liverpool move quickly to land Riera, especially with Everton breathing down their necks?