On the move: Riera Liverpool’s hopes of recouping
£6m for Riera fading fast
Liverpool are preparing to let
Albert Riera leave on loan to Spartak Moscow after all, as revealed
in Sportsmail.
Liverpool’s hopes of recouping £6m are fading fast. But they are
so eager to offload the winger, after his comments on boss Rafa
Benitez, that they will allow the loan with Riera, 27, able to seek
a club in the summer.
Talks between the two clubs will continue, but Spartak feel they
are in a strong position after Moscow rivals CSKA and Lokomotiv
made it clear they would not make a move.
Riera is anxious to secure a move before the Russian transfer
deadline of April 8 because he fears for his place in the Spain
national team.
'Russia seems to me a very interesting option, because, firstly,
it is the only prestigious league in which the transfer window is
still open, and, second, I expect to earn a place at the World Cup
in South Africa if I'm playing there constantly,' said the
27-year-old, whose wife Yulia Koroleva is from Russia.
'I hope the issue with my transfer will be resolved as early as
this week.'
Divide: Riera and Benitez in training at Mellwood
last week
A loan till the end of June would suit Riera, who could
then assess offers in more established European
leagues.
Spartak boss Valery Karpin led the protest when the Russian
transfer deadline was put back from March 11, but he could now be
the biggest to gain from the last-minute switch.