With the dramtic Spanish season now over following Real Madrid’s 30th La Liga title, speculation is set to mount surrounding Liverpool’s summer spending. With no real activity in the transfer market since the end of the season, fans have grown anxious to see who will be Rafa Benitez’s first summer signing.
There’s been lots of talk from both owners of the club and manager Rafa Benitez – but no confirmed arrivals apart from that of forward Andrei Voronin and Brazilian Lucas Leiva which were concluded earlier in the year. It has been widely expected that the lack of activity has been due to most of Benitez’s targets plying their trade in the Spanish top flight.
Seemingly on the boss’ wishlist somewhere are the Milito brothers (Garbiel and Diego, who play for Real Zaragoza), David Silva (Valencia), Fernando Torres (Athletico Madrid) and Samuel E’to (Barcelona).
It is Torres who has been the most heavily linked, with a claim recently in the TIA forums that the deal has in fact been agreed and the Athletico captain will be unveiled at Anfield on Tuesday. With Athletico having failed to qualify for Europe next season, Torres’ future may well be away from the Spanish capital.
Left winger Silva has also been strongly linked with a move to Merseyside, and plays in a position Benitez is keen to strengthen with the departures of Bolo Zenden and Mark Gonzalez this summer.
Other non-La Liga based players are being strongly linked and are seemingly interesting Benitez; Florent Maloud of Lyon, Carlos Tevez and Yossi Benayoun of West Ham and Darren Bent of Charlton. Benayoun is on holiday now but reported to be holding out for a move to Anfield after the Reds placed a bid with the Hammers last week.
Here’s hoping this week signals the beginning of high quality signings arriving, and the end of some of the silly season rumours doing the rounds!
