Source: Telegraph
Liverpool weigh up £15m cashonly bid for Robbie Keane
The London club lodged a firm bid for the Irish international on Monday after more than a week of dialogue between the two sides.[LNB]Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez dismissed suggestions on Sunday that Keane would leave Anfield before the end of the transfer window despite excluding him from his squad for yesterday's 2-0 victory over Chelsea.[LNB]Benitez is believed to favour a cash-plus-player offer on the grounds that he fears he would not have time to find an adequate replacement for Keane. In talks last week he suggested he would be prepared to do a deal should winger Aaron Lennon be included, but Redknapp turned the deal down flat.[LNB]Redknapp's hand may be forced, though, by his desperate need to bolster his strike force with Tottenham engulfed in a relegation battle. The loss of £19 million signing Jermain Defoe to a long-term foot injury leaves Redknapp with just Roman Pavlyuchenko and Darren Bent to lead his line.[LNB]But despite Tottenham's enthusiasm to bring Keane back to his former club – the deal would essentially mean Liverpool had paid £5 million to take Keane on loan for six months – the player is thought to be reticent to return.[LNB]The boyhood Liverpool fan would like to stay and prove himself at Anfield but knows he faces an uphill struggle to even earn a place on the bench.[LNB]Tottenham are also believed to be interested in signing Real Madrid striker Javier Saviola and Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma on loan.[LNB]Quaresma was today left out of Jose Mourinho's Champions League squad after some underwhelming displays in Serie A resulted in him being voted the worst signing of the season.[LNB]Should Keane arrive at White Hart Lane for a straight cash fee, both of those deals would most likely be called off. But both Quaresma and Saviola are long-term targets for Benitez and the Spaniard would certainly consider moving in should Keane leave.[LNB] [LNB]
