England

Benitez Eyes Owen Swoop

Liverpool are lining up a £2 million swoop for former Kop idol Michael Owen in January, a move that the England international is likely to favour ahead of offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, according to the News of the World.

Nov 30, 2008 6:34:01 AM

EPL: Harry Redknapp - Rafael Benitez, Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool (PA)

With the future of Newcastle United as yet undecided due to Mike Ashley's failure to find a buyer for the club, Owen is one of just a number of players tipped to leave St James' Park.

While current incumbent Joe Kinnear has repeatedly stated his desire to keep hold of the striker's services, Rafa Benitez is keeping tabs on Owen as he looks to bolster Liverpool's Premier League title bid, and he is aware that a cut-price deal could suffice with the 28-year old entering the final six months of his contract.

Benitez would be required to sell first, with Jermaine Pennant cited as one player who could leave Anfield, but rumours suggest the Spaniard has now placed Owen ahead of original target Emile Heskey.

“I don’t know how much I can spend because we have not really talked about it," Benitez said.

“It could be OK if I bring nobody in but I might be able to sell some players. It depends on the interest.”

Several first-teams at Liverpool are also approaching the end of their current deal, including Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio, and Benitez added that his main priority is to secure the future of such players first.

“The first thing we want to talk about is my contract.

“Once we finalise this we can talk about the future. We have more than a couple of players that we have to decide about for the future.”

-- Will Wood