Rafa keen on Crouch as Figo hopes fade

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes Peter Crouch will join the European champions but admits Luis Figo is becoming less likely to follow suit.

Crouch could join from Southampton before the end of the week, but hopes are fading that a deal for former FIFA World Player of the Year Figo could be achieved.

Manager Benitez is waiting for the final details of new midfielder Mohamed Sissoko’s medical to be completed before finalising his move from Valencia.

Benitez, whose side begin the defence of their Champions League title against Welsh minnows TNS on Wednesday, also wants to sign another central defender and a right-sided midfielder.

But the chase for Southampton and England striker Crouch seems to be nearing a conclusion.

Benitez said: “Our chief executive Rick Parry is in contact with Southampton. Crouch is a player I like and I would hope that the final talking will be over as soon as possible.”

Liverpool have had a couple of bids for Crouch rejected, with Southampton believed to be holding out for £8m (€11.6m).

That is more than Liverpool have offered, but it seems now that a compromise will be negotiated for a player thought keen to move to Anfield.

“I would like to see him working with us, at this stage of our season you want players sooner rather than later,” said Benitez.

But on the prospect of Figo moving to Anfield, Benitez admitted: “That move is getting more and more complicated and we have told Madrid that we are now looking elsewhere for possibilities in that position.”

Benitez hopes Crouch will be in his squad when Liverpool fly to Switzerland on Thursday to start a 10-day training camp which will be broken only by a squad flying back temporarily to the UK next Monday for the second leg against TNS at Wrexham’s Racecourse ground.

New Spanish goalkeeper Jose ‘Pepe’ Reina will have almost certainly made his debut for Liverpool by then and staked his claim to be Liverpool’s number one in place of Istanbul hero Jerzy Dudek.

Reina – who insists that he wants to be known as Pepe – could start ahead of Dudek at Anfield against TNS.

He said: “I see the competition here as a positive thing. I know that there are already good goalkeepers at the club and my aim is to work hard and wait for the coach’s decision.

“I hope that the fans here accept me. It has taken a long time, it seems, for me to complete the move, maybe three months of talking.

“And all the while I knew how well Jerzy Dudek had done in the Champions League.

“But my main concern now is to settle here quickly and to learn.

“For me it was the history of the club and the fact that very few players get the chance to join the European champions, that made up my mind to move to Anfield.”

Reina cost £6million from Villarreal and is described by Benitez as “the best goalkeeper in Spain, and now England”.

“When you sign a new ’keeper you are looking long term to him being number one,” said Benitez.

“But I am very happy with Dudek and Scott Carson and at the moment I am not looking at the big picture, only the Champions League qualifiers.”

Liverpool expect to field a strong side against TNS and only Harry Kewell, Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Neil Mellor – all recovering from operations – are not available.

Liverpool will parade the Champions League trophy before making sure they take seriously the ambitious village side from mid-Wales.