we have offered £5m for clichy according to tony barrett
where did you here that ?
it's in the times. quite a long read....
Tony Barrett
1 minute ago
Liverpool have made their second statement of intent in a matter of days by launching an attempt to sign Gaël Clichy from Arsenal.
Less than 48 hours after a deal valued at about £20 million was agreed with Sunderland for Jordan Henderson, Liverpool made an offer in the region of £5 million for Clichy, who has just entered the final year of his contract with the North London club.
With Clichy having shown no willingness to sign a new deal with Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, the manager, has become resigned to the probability that the left back will leave this summer. But the expectation was that he would move to a team on the Continent rather than rivals in the Barclays Premier League.
However, Liverpool’s determination to rejoin English football’s elite has led to them making an ambitious move for the 25-year-old and the early indications are that Clichy would be willing to make the switch to Anfield if the clubs can agree a fee.
From being a summer in which they were expected to show their own ambitions in the transfer market, Arsenal now run the risk of losing two key players to domestic rivals, with Samir Nasri, the attacking midfield player, continuing to interest Manchester United.
Wenger has vowed to keep Nasri out of Mr. Ferguson’s clutches, insisting that he will not countenance the departure of one of his star players to the champions. But the Arsenal manager is aware that Clichy’s exit seems inevitable and Liverpool have attempted to steal a march on their rivals for his signature by lodging a bid to which Arsenal will have to give due consideration, because the France defender would be eligible to leave on a free transfer next summer.
One attraction that Liverpool can boast is the presence of Damien Comolli, the director of football. Clichy’s potential was first spotted by Comolli when he was working as an Arsenal scout and it was on his recommendation that Wenger signed Clichy as an 18-year-old from Cannes.
He became the youngest player to win a Premier League medal as a member of Arsenal’s “Invincibles”, who went unbeaten throughout the 2003-04 season.
Clichy has since gone on to establish himself as Wenger’s first-choice left back after Ashley Cole’s transfer to Chelsea in August 2006, but he has recently become disaffected to such an extent that his readiness to leave has been an open secret for some time.
Given Liverpool’s failure to qualify for European competition, a move to Anfield from a club who are expecting to participate in the Champions League would represent something of a surprise.
But it would also be a coup for Liverpool and would support the assertion of Kenny Dalglish, the manager, that the club’s stature is such that they can still attract international players even if they are not in a position to promise them European football.
Henderson has already become the symbol of Liverpool’s desire to re-establish themselves, having all but completed his move from Sunderland. The capture of the 20-year-old midfield player is expected to be the first of many, with Clichy being joined on a lengthy wanted list by Charlie Adam, the Blackpool midfield player, Stewart Downing, the Aston Villa winger, and Connor Wickham, the Ipswich Town forward, among others.
Their transfer strategy is built around a concerted effort to recruit players who are predominantly under 26. Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, has determined that it wants a youthful team to be constructed, one who can challenge for honours for several years and who are constantly bolstered by graduates from the club’s academy, the work of which has been praised by Pep Guardiola. In an interview with Catalan Radio, the Barcelona coach explained his respect for Liverpool’s revamped youth set-up, saying: “If they can manage those lads, then maybe 20 star players can arrive from that academy.”
