Benayoun says £6m Chelsea move is likelyLiverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun has caused a combination of outrage and shock on Merseyside by an apparent public declaration that he wants to quit Anfield for Stamford Bridge.
Benayoun is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: "Ancelotti wants me for next season and now everything depends on Liverpool. Chelsea will have to pay some £6 million but I believe that in the end I'll be moving there."
That has sparked a combustible reaction in the Red half of Merseyside, with Liverpool fans confused whether the comment is factual or not and totally surprised by it.
Soccernet last week broke the news that Chelsea were considering a move for the Israeli captain. That, too, provoked disbelief.
But a source close to the 30-year-old midfielder told Soccernet at the time: "Nobody has spoken to me about interest from Chelsea, but it wouldn't surprise me.
"As for whether Yossi would want to go, he is the type of player who wants to play every game. When he is left out of the team, he wants to go, when he is in the team, he wants to stay. He keeps changing his mind as he has been in and out of the team all season."
Much of the surprise from Liverpool fans is due to the fact Carlo Ancelotti has expressed the desire to lower the average age of his Chelsea side and bring through younger players.
Yet Benayoun is 30, which flies in the face of that declared policy and gives credence to the suspicion that it cannot be true.
But there is continued uncertainty about the future of Joe Cole who is out of contract and available on a free transfer, as his contract talks have stalled.
Javier Mascherano is also on Chelsea's radar as Michael Ballack is nearing the end of his Stamford Bridge career, and Ancelotti is in need of an experienced midfield anchor man.
The big catch at Anfield, though, is Fernando Torres, and it is now widely accepted that the Spanish striker is top of Roman Abramovich's wanted list, and an initial £50 million plus player exchange offer is not far away.
There could be some fascinating exchanges of players between Anfield and the Bridge this summer, and the middle men are working away feverishly to see if it can happen.
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