Owen covets Reds return as Magpies wait in wings

MICHAEL OWEN is hoping to persuade Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez to change his transfer market priorities and pave the way for a high-profile return to Anfield.

Owen covets a move back to his former club but has indicated he will join Newcastle on a season-long loan deal if his preferred option fails to materialise this week.

Benitez has publicly stated that a new striker is not his number one target despite the departure of Milan Baros to Aston Villa this week. But pressure is increasing on the Reds boss to change his mind after watching his side draw a blank in Tuesday night’s Champions League third qualifying round second leg defeat to CSKA Sofia.

Owen is desperate to return to the Premiership after accepting that his first-team opportunities will be restricted at Real Madrid. He said: “I said that my ideal situation was to start the season in the Real Madrid first team and if not I would prefer to return to Liverpool.

“The president understood me and said he would try to help me achieve this. If the transfer cannot be finalised in time I have agreed to go to Newcastle but only on a one-year loan. I need to be playing regularly in World Cup year.”

Newcastle responded by revealing they have agreed a club record fee in excess of £15m with Real Madrid. But the Magpies’ public reaction appears designed to show intent rather than any serious ambition to land the player who has clearly ruled out a permanent move to St James’s Park.

Newcastle are desperate to land a new striker before the transfer window slams shut and would be more than happy to accept the lesser option of the 25-year-old’s temporary move to Tyneside.

But the ball is in Benitez’s court amid mounting speculation he could seek to offload Djibril Cisse in order to accommodate Owen.

Cisse, who cost Benitez’s predecessor Gerard Houllier £14m last July, has already scored four goals in Europe this season but is believed to be the most expendable of the front men. Cisse was hauled off during the loss to the Bulgarians but afterwards he expressed his intention to see out the remainder of his four-year contract at Anfield.

Cisse said: “Sometimes you are high, sometimes you are low. I have to live with it, it’s part of a football career. But I do not have contact with other clubs. However I would not be surprised if the manager says I have to go. It is his choice, maybe they do not need me. I think Liverpool is my club. I am here for four my seasons and I want to be here until the end of my contract.”

Owen scored 158 goals in 297 games for his home-city club before leaving for Madrid and would be welcomed back with open arms by Liverpool fans. He rejected the possibility of a move to Everton this week and also revealed he had held “brief dialogue with three or four Premiership clubs.”