Thursday, July 5, 2007

Benitez Targets Porto winger Quaresma Next

Hot on the heels of Fernando Torres' arrival at Anfield, Rafa Benitez is looking to strengthen his squad further. Facing stiff competition from Atletico Madrid, the coach has turned his attention towards Porto winger Quaresma.
Rafa Benitez is seeking to avoid a second consecutive third-placed finish in the Premiership and in doing so is building a squad from the front.Fernando Torres is now settled in as the new star striker at Anfield, and now Benitez will look for wingers and attacking midfielders. Apparently, Quaresma is his number-one target.The Portuguese winger has been heavily linked with Atletico Madrid, but Liverpool are an outside bet to gain his signature. They've already allegedly had a £13.5m bid rejected, but are confident that an improved offer could change Porto's minds.Atletico, too, have apparently considered an offer in that region, but also included additional payout clauses based on results and performances.Quaresma spent a fiery season with Barcelona before sparking a feud with coach Frank Rijkaard over being asked to play on the left flank instead of in his more usual right-wing role.
Since departing the Nou Camp in 2004, he's impressed at the Estadio do Dragao, and often swapped positions to play on the left.

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