Rafael Benitez has slapped a £15million price tag
on England striker Peter Crouch on the day that he lost his
first-team coach Alex Miller and confirmed that Harry Kewell will
leave Liverpool. And the Anfield chief also revealed that he had
held talks with Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill over the potential
transfer of midfielder Gareth Barry to
Liverpool.
Benitez accepts that Crouch could have his head turned after a
frustrating season when he has found first-team chances hard to
come by - but the Spaniard insists he will not be leaving on the
cheap.
"Crouch wants to play every week but knows he must fight it out
with Fernando Torres," Benitez said. "We keep seeing Portsmouth
linked with the player but we have had no offer as yet. "A £15m
price tag would not be unreasonable."
On Kewell's departure, Benitez added: "We have tried to come to
an agreement with the player and his agent, but that has not been
possible. "Kewell will leave the club at the end of his contract."
It is believed that Kewell has rejected a new deal on reduced
wages.
Benitez also explained further the pending saga over Barry, and
revealed that nothing more will happen until after this weekend's
closing round of league matches. He said: "I have spoken to Martin
O'Neill, he knows my ideas. "But we agreed to wait until the end of
the season for any more discussions."
Benitez has also seen coach Alex Miller leave the club to take
up a management appointment in Japan with JEF United Chiba. He
said: "We have some names to consider and will make an appointment
soon."
