RAFA TO LEAVE?
Benitez agent hints at Juventus move
By Soccernet staff
January 26, 2010
Rafael Benitez's agent has fuelled speculation that the current Liverpool boss could be on his way to Italy to replace under-fire Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara.
NealSimpson/Empics
Rafael Benitez: Aware of interest from Juventus.
Benitez is widely believed to be the
bianconeri's first choice to replace Ferrara, who has struggled to maintain what was initially an excellent start to his managerial career.
The former Juve player oversaw Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by AS Roma - sixth-placed Juve's fifth loss in six Serie A matches - but his days are expected to be numbered.
And Benitez has now emerged as the favourite to take charge of the 27-time
Scudetto winners, with his agent Manuel García Quillón stoking the flames of speculation by refusing to rule out a move to Serie A.
"Benitez to Juventus? In football you never know," Quillón said. "Right now, that hypothesis is not correct because he is a very important figure [at Anfield]. The idols of the fans are Gerrard, Torres and Benítez.
"I don't know what will happen in four to five months. In football everything changes quickly, but the basic principle is that Rafa still has a four-year contract with Liverpool."
Former Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has also been heavily linked with Juve in the event of Ferrara being sacked, but his reported demands of €3.5 million to take on an interim role similar to his position at Chelsea last season was seen as excessive.
Hiddink is believed to have asked for €6 million per season to take the job on a permanent basis, but that demand was also rejected.
Benítez currently earns £4 million per season at Anfield but it is unlikely that Juve will be able to improve on that figure, though his spending is unlikely to be as restricted as it is under the current Liverpool regime.