Bellamy attracts interest from Juventus and Roma
By Andy Hunter
Published: 18 June 2007
Craig Bellamy has been offered an unexpected chance to play in Italy after Juventus and Roma entered the market for the controversial Liverpool forward.
The Wales captain is expected to leave Anfield this summer, having struggled to adapt to Rafael Benitez's rotation policy during his debut season at the club. He represents a profitable asset for a Liverpool manager seeking to maximise his transfer budget.
West Ham United, his former club Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa have all shown an interest in the 27-year-old centre forward, only to discover that Liverpool want £12m for a player they acquired for £6m last year due to a release clause in his contract at Ewood Park. That ambitious price may yet be realised, now that the Italian clubs have contacted Anfield officials about Bellamy's availability.
Juventus, preparing for their return to Serie A under Claudio Ranieri, and Roma are both understood to value the former Newcastle, Celtic and Rovers striker at around £10m, but neither club has yet lodged an official bid. It is not known whether Bellamy would consider a move abroad.
Liverpool are naturally keen for an auction to develop around a player who scored seven goals in 23 Premiership starts last season, though they are particularly keen for Roma to follow up their interest as it raises the possibility of an exchange for the Italian club's £10m-rated winger Alessandro Mancini.
Benitez hopes to strengthen his left and right flanks this summer, along with addressing the necessity of bringing a proven goalscorer to the club. Lyon's Florent Malouda is his leading target, but Mancini is also on his list of wingers. The Brazil international scored eight goals in 29 appearances for Roma last season and ended the campaign with more assists than any other player in Serie A.
A versatile wide player, who expanded his profile with a stunning goal at Lyon in the Champions League last season, the 27-year-old ranks alongside Malouda as the kind of ambitious target Benitez insisted Liverpool should be pursuing when he vented his transfer frustrations in the wake of the European Cup final defeat to Milan.
Four weeks after that loss to the Italian club, the Liverpool manager is still waiting for the club's new American owners, George Gillet and Tom Hicks, to confirm he has the budget to meet his entire transfer strategy and for the club to make a firm offer for Malouda who, as Benitez warned in Athens when he appealed for urgent action in the market, is now attracting interest from Chelsea.
The Lyon chairman, Jean-Michel Aulas, has increased Malouda's price tag from £12m to £17m since the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, was linked to his player.
Mancini represents an attractive alternative should an exchange deal with Bellamy materialise, though Benitez would prefer to have both the Brazilian and Malouda in his squad for next season.
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/european/article2669871.ece
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WTF??? BELLAMY????? WTF????
this is all over the english press today, i seriously hope there is a drunk journalist around who just invented this crap, why would we need a crap striker like bellamy??? especially for more than £1 million??!!!
By Andy Hunter
Published: 18 June 2007
Craig Bellamy has been offered an unexpected chance to play in Italy after Juventus and Roma entered the market for the controversial Liverpool forward.
The Wales captain is expected to leave Anfield this summer, having struggled to adapt to Rafael Benitez's rotation policy during his debut season at the club. He represents a profitable asset for a Liverpool manager seeking to maximise his transfer budget.
West Ham United, his former club Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa have all shown an interest in the 27-year-old centre forward, only to discover that Liverpool want £12m for a player they acquired for £6m last year due to a release clause in his contract at Ewood Park. That ambitious price may yet be realised, now that the Italian clubs have contacted Anfield officials about Bellamy's availability.
Juventus, preparing for their return to Serie A under Claudio Ranieri, and Roma are both understood to value the former Newcastle, Celtic and Rovers striker at around £10m, but neither club has yet lodged an official bid. It is not known whether Bellamy would consider a move abroad.
Liverpool are naturally keen for an auction to develop around a player who scored seven goals in 23 Premiership starts last season, though they are particularly keen for Roma to follow up their interest as it raises the possibility of an exchange for the Italian club's £10m-rated winger Alessandro Mancini.
Benitez hopes to strengthen his left and right flanks this summer, along with addressing the necessity of bringing a proven goalscorer to the club. Lyon's Florent Malouda is his leading target, but Mancini is also on his list of wingers. The Brazil international scored eight goals in 29 appearances for Roma last season and ended the campaign with more assists than any other player in Serie A.
A versatile wide player, who expanded his profile with a stunning goal at Lyon in the Champions League last season, the 27-year-old ranks alongside Malouda as the kind of ambitious target Benitez insisted Liverpool should be pursuing when he vented his transfer frustrations in the wake of the European Cup final defeat to Milan.
Four weeks after that loss to the Italian club, the Liverpool manager is still waiting for the club's new American owners, George Gillet and Tom Hicks, to confirm he has the budget to meet his entire transfer strategy and for the club to make a firm offer for Malouda who, as Benitez warned in Athens when he appealed for urgent action in the market, is now attracting interest from Chelsea.
The Lyon chairman, Jean-Michel Aulas, has increased Malouda's price tag from £12m to £17m since the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, was linked to his player.
Mancini represents an attractive alternative should an exchange deal with Bellamy materialise, though Benitez would prefer to have both the Brazilian and Malouda in his squad for next season.
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/european/article2669871.ece
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WTF??? BELLAMY????? WTF????
this is all over the english press today, i seriously hope there is a drunk journalist around who just invented this crap, why would we need a crap striker like bellamy??? especially for more than £1 million??!!!
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