Well seven days later it appears that Redknapp is still a man of his word. He’s still not going to pay more than…oh…wait…apparently Redknapp isn’t afraid of the mud after all! The Daily Mirror reports that Harry found another four million quid in his seat cushion that he’d like to add to a FINAL bid (if you really believe him now) for the Liverpool man.

Portsmouth will make a final £10m bid for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. (Daily Mirror)

Judging by the big names Rafa has on his wish list, it would seem to be in the goateed-one’s best interest to make sure this deal got done. Nobody with a brain is going to pay the £15m valuation for Crouch, so why not get the most for him now and use some of it to finalize a deal for Gareth Barry. Now THAT would make sense!

Are Liverpool supporters fine seeing Crouch leave for £10m? Do you think he’s really worth his £15m pricetag?

However, Pompey haven’t given up on the striker by a long chalk, with the Portsmouth News reporting that the England international remains firmly in demand at Fratton Park. According to Peter Storrie, the club’s chief executive, just because the parties haven’t agreed a fee doesn’t mean this is a dead duck. Hope springs eternal for Gareth Barry then!

“Harry has made it clear he wants Peter Crouch. He’s the sort of quality we want to add to the team.

“We have made a fair bid for him and that was turned down but we are still interested.

“It’s now the case that we have made known our position and Liverpool have made know theirs – we will see what happens after that.

“This is not the end of it. As in normal transfer negotiations there is still more talking to be done. That’s how it works.

“We are not going to be giving up. Harry sees him as an important player and we will try to bring him to Fratton Park.

“At the moment both myself and Harry are away so there is nothing happening, we will see what the situation is after this week.

“But nothing will be happening with Peter’s future in the meantime, either. It’s a quiet time for transfers.

“We are still interested, he’s a quality player.”

It sounds as though the forward will be playing football for Portsmouth next season. Eventually, Liverpool are going to need some readies, especially if they continue in their pursuit of Gareth Barry. Is it fair to suppose that Pompey will land Crouch for £10million, which might well be officially described as ‘an undisclosed fee’? Or will Rafa demand closer to £15million?

However, Sky Sports report that the former Chelsea player has made a statement that indicates he might be staying put on the South Coast after all. Say it ain’t so Lassana!

He told L’Equipe: “Where will I play next season? Why such a question? I am under contract at Portsmouth.

“I feel fine at the club, they have allowed me to play in Europe and win the FA Cup.”

Is this just a smokescreen or is the Frenchman going to enjoy life by the sea next season? It’s been reported that he’s enjoyed sandcastle-making opportunities and an occasional Punch and Judy show in Bournemouth, although can that compete with what the European giants have to offer? Maybe no club has come in for him or just maybe he thinks that Portsmouth are going places next season – they are in Europe after all.

Sky Sports reports that the Portsmouth boss is very sweet on Shaun Wright-Phillips, Chelsea’s forgotten man who played just a handful of games for the club last season. Can Redknapp snare him – surely his wages would be a sticking point for any future club?

Redknapp told the Daily Star Sunday: “He’d be a hit here, the fans would love him.

“He’s my type of player, but the problem is whether we can afford him and his wages.

“He will also be anxious to see how his future lies with his new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.”

Surely there has to be a concern regarding the player’s attitude as well. If he was anything like ambitious, he would surely have taken a pay cut to go and play somewhere else by now. It’s not as if Chelsea would hold clubs to ransom if the winger actually wanted to leave. Would SWP be a good thing for Porsmouth or not?

It’s little wonder that Portsmouth are baulking at Peter Crouch’s £15 million price tag, especially as there are cheaper options elsewhere, especially if Harry Redknapp ventures abroad for increased options. The Guardian report that the Pompey manager will only spend £10 million on the striker or lose any interest in signing the England international.

“It’s known I like Crouchie but I think Liverpool want a bit too much money for him,” Redknapp, who is prepared to bid £10m, said. “If that’s the case, then we’ll move on to the next option.”

Liverpool continue to be confident that they can get £15 million for the lanky forward – are they right to think that? Or will they eventually wish that they had offloaded the former Qpr and Southampton man when they had the chance? As we get closer to the new season, you can bet Pool’s priorities will change, especially when they need to raise extra funds.

“I was just about to sign for Reading but then Harry rung me up,” said Little. “When Harry gives you a ring, you can’t turn it down – and it’s a chance to play for a top Premier League club.”

Reading’s disappointed director of football, Nick Hammond, explained: “We offered Glen a new contract, but it appears that the lure of the Premier League and European football proved too strong.”

Little has never really stolen the headlines for Reading, although he seemed to be pretty popular among the fans and would certainly have performed very well at Championship level. It’s hard to imagine him getting too many first-team starts at Fratton Park, more of a squad player to avoid Redknapp rolling out his favourite cliche of being ‘down to the bare bones’.

The Sun also report that Redknapp is after Nolberto Solano, which makes a change from his policy of signing physically big players such as Diop, Muntari, Utaka and Nugent. The Peruvian might add some guile to the team, especially from free-kick situations, where he’s particularly dangerous.

Liverpool striker Crouch, 27, is poised to leave Anfield for £8million to return to Fratton Park.

He will agree a four-year deal worth £60,000 a week.

Pompey boss Harry Redknapp also wants to snap up Solano, 33, on a free following his release from West Ham.

Redknapp said: “We are working on a few options and seeing what we can do.

“It is not a case of looking at one player for each position, we are looking at a few in each area.”

Will we be witnessing the Little and Large show at Fratton Park next season. You can picture it now, the ball comes to Crouch, who nods it down for Jermain Defoe to control, before blazing it over the bar. However, the ex-Liverpool striker would be sure to score a hatful given a regular run in the side, something that Redknapp would probably guarantee him.

The Daily Star reports that Redknapp is interested in adding Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira to the squad this summer, almost certainly meaning he is one of his three top quality players required for a strong UEFA Cup campaign.

Portsmouth are set to launch a £4m bid for Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira. (Daily Star)

Reports are coming out of Milan that Vieira could still be looking for wages in the area of £100,000 a week – a number that Redknapp surely wouldn’t spend on the 32-year-old Frenchman. Maybe that explains with the fee for Vieira is considerably lower than you’d expect.

Would Pompey supporters welcome a move for Vieira? Do you still consider him a top talent? Or would you rather see the club chase a younger set of legs for £4m?

“These four lads didn’t play in the final,” said Redknapp, “but they couldn’t even put their beer down on the bus.

“We got back for the reception and the four of them just stood there until they were invited to go home.

“They’re players at my club but they might not be for much longer.”

Goodness, chill out Harry, it’s not as though they started hitting each other with golf clubs or urinated on the bar, as has been the way when footballers have got together in the past. It’s probable that we’re talking about a bunch of youngsters who were set to be released anyhow.

The Sun is reporting that Redknapp would like to bring in Wright-Phillips to Pompey for £10m, and hopes Chelsea don’t mind losing £11m for the winger after he was bought three years ago from Man City for £21m. However, judging by the way Roman Abramovich has been throwing away money recently — £2m to The Special One for a Ferrari, and £5m to make ‘Average’ Grant go away — the thought of him giving Pompey a decent price for SWP doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

Pompey boss Harry Redknapp wants to capitalise on his side’s FA Cup success by strengthening his squad. And he believes he can persuade Chelsea to take a loss on out-of-favour Wright-phillips. (The Sun)

Judging by how little Wright-Phillips was used at Chelsea, would this even be a good investment for Pompey? Or would Harry and his FA Cup be better off spending the £10m on a player that has actually done something in the past year?