Transfer Speculation: Ribery, Arbeloa, Alonso

Franck Ribery
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez rubbished speculation that Franck Ribery will be joining the Reds reports the Mirror.

"I don't think we will be signing anyone else for big, big money - just maybe the ones who can fit into our team.”

"I will be really pleased if we can keep this squad together because I don't think we need to do too many things to get us in position."

"Now we are just thinking of improving the fitness of the players, not thinking of the transfer market. We have the quality and will have chances again."

Alvaro Arbeloa
The same story also talks about the speculation surrounding Alvaro Arbeloa, proclaiming he will join Real Madrid next week. The article says:

“Benitez has given up hope of keeping full-back Alvaro Arbeloa, who will join Madrid next week for a fee of around £6m.”

"We offered him an extension before, but if you have an idea and the agent has another one, you have to find solutions," he said.

Xabi Alonso
Real Madrid sporting director Miguel Pardeza has been shooting is mouth off about Liverpool player Xabi Alonso. Reported by Sky Sports, he said:

"Madrid must not discard an option until it's totally gone."

"There is an insurmountable financial barrier at the moment, but it's something that could change.

"We're looking at other options, although there aren't many."

Real director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno has also suggested that the club are hopeful of securing Alonso.
"There are many weeks remaining," he said. "We must show patience. There is time."

Despite openly talking about the Liverpool midfielder to the press for 5 weeks, Real Madrid are yet to make a bid for the player.

Transfer Speculation: Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery
Bookmakers have slashed their odds on Franck Ribery joining Liverpool. The Reds were yesterday ranked as total outsiders to sign the in-demand attacker, but the bookmaker cut its odds from 66-1 to 8-13 on, after a series of bets were made yesterday suggesting they had ‘insider knowledge.’

Skybet's Dale Tempest told sports betting website oddspreview: "Every price we have put up has been taken on Ribery moving to Liverpool, which has left us stumped as in recent weeks he has been liked with every other club but the Reds!"

"After seeing money for him to join Man United and Real Madrid at the same time that Bayern Munich say he’s going nowhere, we’ve now seen a flood of bets on him to join Liverpool."8/13 may seem a very short price but after the losses we made last week on Michael Owen, who was gambled down from 20/1 to move to Manchester United, we are taking no chances."

Reported on the website Goal, Dale Tempest also spoke with Sky Sports saying: "It was a bizarre situation yesterday. Manchester United were initially the odds-on favourites after the Ronaldo sale, then Real Madrid, but we had Liverpool placed at 66/1,”

"They were far outsiders in the market, but within about 30 minutes' time we had taken £200 so you're looking at £10,000 liability, the same people took the odds again after we halved them, but as we kept cutting it the same people carried on betting."

"We took a caning from Michael Owen's transfer, so we slashed the odds last night."

The story suggests Liverpool "could be readying a €46 million bid, and SkyBet have confirmed that punters fancy a tabled transfer fee from Rafael Benitez to be successful."