Liverpool to seal Pennant signing
Liverpool are close to sealing a £6.2m swoop for Birmingham winger Jermaine
Pennant, according to a report.
Birmingham revealed earlier on Tuesday that they turned down a
£3.5m offer for the 23-year-old from Liverpool.
Now the Press Association has been told by a source close to Blues
that an improved bid has been accepted with Pennant now set for
talks at Anfield.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said on Monday there "could be
another two players in by the weekend".
One of those now seems certain to be Pennant, and it is claimed
that Holland international Dirk Kuyt will be the other - if the
Reds can negotiate Feyenoord down from their £12m asking
price.
The Press Association's report says Liverpool have already failed
with a player-plus-cash offer which would have seen Jan Kromkamp
and Jerzy Dudek going to Feyenoord.
Pennant's arrival would solve Benitez's search for a right-sided
midfielder, with his first choice, Sevilla's Daniel Alves, proving
too pricy at £12m.
The Birmingham player is much cheaper, even after the Championship
club negotiated the fee upwards because they knew they had to give
Pennant's old club Arsenal a quarter of any cash receieved for
him.
Blues boss Steve Bruce said earlier: "There has only been one bid
of around £3.5m but we don't want to sell him for that."
They reportedly wanted £8m, but have settled for £6.2m, even though
St Andrews managing director Karren Brady had said the player would
not be sold at all.
Pennant's agent declined to comment on Tuesday evening.
The England Under-21 international, who joined Birmingham from
Arsenal for £3m in April 2005, would join Wales striker Craig
Bellamy at Anfield as Benitez looks to invest in young British
talent.
But in Pennant, the Liverpool coach would be purchasing one of
football's most notorious players.
In 2005 the midfielder become the first footballer to play in the
Premiership while wearing an electronic tag. He had served 21 days
in jail after being found guilty of drink driving while banned and
having no insurance.
Originally Pennant had been banned from driving for 16 months in
2004 after being seen travelling in the wrong lane in Paddington,
west London.
Also in 2005 it was reported that Birmingham sent the player home
from training after he turned up under the influence of alcohol.
And in a seperate incident that year, Pennant was alleged to have
become involved in an argument with a man outside a restaurant on
the Greek island of Zante, which led to the man punching him.
In 2003 Pennant was sent home from an England Under-21 training
camp for breaking a curfew.
