Benitez: Liverpool may break transfer record (May 20, 2009, Soccernet)
Rafael Benitez has said he may well break the club's transfer recordagain this summer. In the last two summers, the Liverpool boss hasspent £20m-plus on first Fernando Torres and then Robbie Keane.
And although Benitez is believed to have been given only £20m by theclub's American owners for a transfer spree - any more will have tocome from sales - the Spaniard is planning purchases at both ends ofthe financial scale.
Linked again with Carlos Tevez this week - a movethat has been talked about at Anfield now for some while - the club saythey have not made a bid to the players' third party owners.
But Benitez is known to be keen to pair Tevez again with his compatriotJavier Mascherano, the Argentina stars joining West Ham together backin August 2006.
However, he said: ''We may well break our transferrecord, but certainly not Manchester United's. But it does not matterabout the prices, it is doing the right thing and finding the rightplayers.''
But having all but assured themselves of runners-up spot in the PremierLeague now behind champions Manchester United, Benitez knows he has towork carefully in the transfer market this summer to maximise the fundshe has been given, or can generate.
He said: ''The next step is to overcome Manchester United, and that isthe hardest. It does all come down to the money they have been able tospend, that is the difference.
''If we want to reduce this gap we have to be really good in thetransfer market this summer. That can be the difference between winningthe two or three extra points that we would need to win the title.
''We do not have that sort of money, so we have to be cute and cleverin the market. Then it does not matter if you have money or not.
''When you have a lot of money it is easier because nobody notices yourmistakes. For us it is important to find good targets to buy and makeourselves successful.
''We have learned a lot about our squad this season, we know eachplayer that little bit better and it means we can improve for nextseason.''
He added: ''The fact that we have won nine of our last 10 games and notwon the title just shows the high level of the Premier League.
''This season we have managed very good performances against the topsides, something we had not been doing before and now we have toimprove a little bit more.
''We have 83 points and that would have been enough to win the title onsix other occasions since the Premier League started. I can onlyunderline that I am pleased and proud of my team to have gone thisclose.''
Benitez has started to generate cash from his squadby agreeing a £1m fee for defender Jack Hobbs to stay at Leicester,where he has helped them to promotion from League One. Winger PaulAnderson will also join Swansea for a fee of around £750,000.
Xabi Alonso is being linked with a £22m move to RealMadrid, while Ryan Babel could also be sold. Striker Andriy Voronin isalso expected to be moved on.
