Turnaround: Roman Pavlyuchenko's (left) fine form
in 2010 was in stark contrast to that of his first few months of
the season
Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move for Liverpool
midfielder Yossi Benayoun that could see Roman Pavlyuchenko move in
the opposite direction.
Liverpool showed interest in Pavlyuchenko during the winter
transfer window and are keen to do a deal, but they are reluctant
to meet demands of Benayoun plus £2million for the Russia
striker.
The Merseysiders could find better value in doing a straight
cash deal for their Israel midfielder and would hope to raise as
much as £10m by exploring interest from Aston Villa, Roma, Sevilla
and Dynamo Moscow - as well as Spurs.
Meanwhile, Lokomotiv Moscow fear that their hopes of signing
Pavlyuchenko from Tottenham Hotspur are dead. The Russians came
close to clinching a £10m deal for Pavlyuchenko in the winter but
believe his return to Harry Redknapp's starting line-up will
scupper a renewed attempt to lure him when the transfer window
opens.
'The situation has changed,' said Lokomotiv head coach Yuri
Semin. 'I'm afraid it will be difficult to get Pavlyuchenko.
'His team qualified for the Champions League and he regained the
coach's confidence. 'In any case, we can't get hung up on one
player. We definitely need one more forward to strengthen the
attack.'
Earning his Spurs: Tottenham are considering a move
for Yossi Benayoun
Semin is under pressure after a poor start to the Russian
Premier League season for his much-fancied team, who are 12 points
behind leaders Zenit St Petersburg after 10 games.
Lokomotiv also look set to be priced our of a move for Sporting
Lisbon midfielder Marat Izmailov, who has attracted interest from
Manchester City and Everton since a £5m return to Russia failed in
March.
'Izmailov has a long-term contract with Sporting,' said Semin.
'His club will decide what will be. Figuratively speaking, the ball
is in their court.
'We made a proposal for Izmailov in the spring, but the
Portuguese refused. Since then, the situation hasn't changed.'
