For some reason, whenever Rafa goes out to bid for a player, the club he is dealing with decides to up the prices like some crazed scientist!
Liverpool last night warned that they will not be held to ransom in the summer transfer market.
Manager Rafa Benitez has been thwarted in his aim to bring Gareth Barry and James Milner to Anfield.
Aston Villa want a staggering £20million for their skipper Barry, while Newcastle insist midfielder Milner will not be allowed to leave for less than £10m.
Even unheralded players Benitez had his eye on such as Albert Riera come with vastly inflated price tags.
Espanyol want £12m for left winger Riera, even though he has only one Spain cap and failed in the Prem with Manchester City.(Daily Mirror)
Rafa isn’t a fool and, if these prices keep rising, then he will look elsewhere. The price for Riera is the most ridiculous of the three and I think Benitez will just give up on the Spaniard. The prices for both Milner and Barry are a different issue, and both Aston Villa and Newcastle could suggest that their valuations are in line with the current value in today’s market.
It could be that Martin O’Neill is hoping that Chelsea decide to enter into the bidding war for their skipper so as to maximise the transfer fee, however if they find themselves with an unhappy player come pre-season training time, then they might reconsider their price. With Milner you could argue both cases. On the one hand, you have a player who is still young and has a wealth of experience, on the other, he hasn’t been capped and has not played at Champions League and has never fulfilled his full potential.
What do Liverpool fans is a reasonable price for these three players?