CarraLegend

Then you're an idiot. Sorry mods for saying that but it is true.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...27/ixfooty.html Michael Owen is expected to open negotiations with Liverpool officials early next week that will pave the way for an emotional return to Anfield and also ensure that Newcastle intensify their efforts to recruit Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool's chief executive, Rick Parry, will fly out to Madrid with a view to swiftly completing a deal for the England striker - believed to be in the region of £11 million -before the summer transfer window closes next Wednesday. Owen, 25, had expressed his desire to move back to Liverpool after a one-year stay at the Bernabeu, and his wish now seems set to be granted, much to the disappointment of Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd, who agreed a £16 million deal for Owen with Real Madrid earlier this week. Owen, who had stated that he would only consider joining Newcastle on loan if a move to Merseyside failed to materialise, will have time on his hands to finalise his return to Liverpool because he will join up with the England party late due to his suspension from next Saturday's Wales game.

Which is why I said at the moment and not every week.

Thinking about it I honestly cant see us getting Owen unless Cisse is sold, at the moment Sissoko, Alonso and Gerrard have to start and them 3 could be the key to massive improvement away from home. At home I think we'll still go with 1 up top against Arsenal, Utd etc so then just leaving home games against the rest where we may go 4 4 2. If for the majority of the season we're going 1 up top then I really cant see us keeping 4 strikers. I'm probably way off but after a think thats what I reckon. I like Cisse but it'd be Owen everytime out of the two.

Imagine the roar at home to Utd when his name is read out for his first game back at Anfield. PLEASE LET IT HAPPEN!

Yep pretty much mate, gets the odd thing wrong like everyone but he's good.

Heres Bascombe http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liv...-name_page.html MICHAEL OWEN is virtually certain to join Liverpool next week, despite Newcastle's attempts to sign him. Negotiations will begin with Real Madrid after tonight's Super Cup final and look set to end next week with him returning to the European champions. Skipper Steven Gerrard has expressed his desire to see Owen rejoin the Reds. Speaking after yesterday's Champions League draw, Gerrard said: "Fingers crossed. It's obviously up to the Liverpool manager but everyone knows what I want." Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry denied claims there was a difference of opinion between the board and boss Rafael Benitez over Owen returning, saying: "There has never been a split between us and Rafa over Michael or any other player. "It's not a no or a yes - there has been plenty of speculation and we will see next week. It's always encouraging when a player says he wants to come to Liverpool." The Echo revealed last month how Owen was desperate to come back to the club where he had spent his entire career before opting for a move to Spain last summer. Newcastle's efforts to lure him to Tyneside have failed to deflect Owen from his determination to return to Anfield. The Geordies are now on the verge of landing Deportivo La Coruna striker Albert Luque in a £9m deal.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,428-1750889,00.html RICK PARRY held talks with at least two French clubs over the future of Djibril Cissé yesterday as Liverpool continued to clear the way for a formal move for Michael Owen at the beginning of next week. The Anfield chief executive, who made the most positive noises yet regarding the England forward?s return to Merseyside, is expected to submit an opening offer to Real Madrid on Monday. Newcastle United?s attempts to force Owen into a move to St James? Park proved fruitless after Freddy Shepherd, the chairman, vainly laid down a deadline yesterday. ?It?s got to happen today or it is not going to happen at all,? he said. There was contact between Owen?s advisers and the Tyneside club in the wake of Newcastle?s £16 million bid but it remains very much his second choice. Owen?s hopes of a return to the Barclays Premiership lie firmly with Liverpool, although there may be some haggling to be done right up to the transfer deadline at midnight on Wednesday. Having sold the player for £8 million last summer, Liverpool do not believe they should pay more to bring him back, while Real hope to make a handsome profit now that Newcastle have turned their heads with an offer to double their money. ?We will see next week,? Parry said. ?It is not a ?no? but it is not a ?yes? either. Of course we are encouraged (that Owen has declared an interest in coming to Anfield). We are always encouraged when a player wants to come to us.? Parry sought to deny that there was any disagreement between the board and Rafael Benítez, the manager, regarding the return of Owen. ?There has never been a split between us and Rafa on Michael or any other player,? he said. The Spaniard has shown a public indifference to the signing of the striker but, in large part, that has been a policy aimed at reassuring those players already on Liverpool?s books. That includes Cissé, whose future is uncertain. Marseilles, Lyons and AS Monaco have expressed an interest, although no offers have been received. Cissé?s preference would be for Marseilles, his hometown club, but they have talked only of a loan deal for a player who cost Liverpool £14 million when he was signed from Auxerre last summer. Suggestions of a swap deal with Lyons that would involve Sydney Govou, the right-sided midfield player, were being played down in France last night, while Monaco do not have the money to finance a permanent transfer. Liverpool are thought to have been preparing a bid for Owen regardless of whether Cissé is sold, but the France international?s situation could alter Parry?s budget. Owen, who is likely to be restricted to the bench when Real travel to Cadiz for the opening game in La Liga on Sunday, must hope that Real and Liverpool can strike a deal but he may have to be patient. He is due to meet up with the England squad on Tuesday for World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Northern Ireland. He is suspended for the first game in Cardiff next Saturday, which may be just as well given the likelihood that he will have to leave the team hotel after the England players gather early next week to undertake negotiations and a medical. Alan Shearer, his former England team-mate and the Newcastle captain, has been working hard to persuade Owen to go to Tyneside. ?It is costing me a fortune in telephone calls to Madrid,? Shearer said. ?I would say that 95 per cent of the teams in the Premiership would like him and we are no different.? Shearer, though, is braced for bad news, while Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain and his long-time friend, has high hopes of playing alongside Owen at Anfield in the near future.

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/li...ticle308209.ece Michael Owen's hopes of a move back to Liverpool this month took a step closer to fulfilment last night when the Merseyside club's chief executive Rick Parry finally admitted that there was a good chance of the Anfield hierarchy coming to the rescue of their former striker. In Monaco to see his side drawn in the same Champions' League group as Chelsea, Parry said that the club were keeping their "fingers crossed" that something could be done to bring Owen back from Real Madrid. Parry also hinted that Rafael Benitez, who has so far opposed his board, could be changing his mind about Owen. "There's probably been too much speculation already." Parry said. "We will see next week. There has never been a split between us and Rafa over Michael Owen or any other player." With consensus among the Liverpool board and Benitez over Owen, the only barrier to him returning to Anfield would be the question of the fee with the club reluctant to pay more than the £8m they received for him and not prepared to match the £14m bid by Newcastle. Owen issued a remarkable statement yesterday in which he made clear that Newcastle was his second-choice and that he would only consider a loan move there while confirming that he really wished to return to Anfield. It is understood that Monaco have shown interest in taking the striker Djibril Cissé on loan - perhaps with left-back Patrick Evra going to Anfield - which would make the case for another striker at Liverpool more pressing. There is also interest in Cissé from Marseilles while Owen has been told by Real Madrid that they will not countenance a loan move. The sporting director at Real Madrid, Emilio Butragueño, said that he understood the difficulty of Owen's position following the club's signing of new strikers Julio Baptista and Robinho. "Michael is a great player, a great professional and a great person," he said. "But he has to think about his future and the way things are at Real Madrid. "We have had several clubs approaching us over Michael. But I am not going to name them or confirm if Liverpool is one of them." Benitez, meanwhile, has warned Luis Garcia he must rediscover his discipline and work-rate of last season in order to silence his critics at Anfield. The £6m midfielder played an integral role in last season's Champions' League victory, scoring 13 goals in total during an encouraging debut campaign in English football. Since his return to pre-season training, however, the 27-year-old has been omitted from Benitez's starting plans and was jeered by his own supporters when he appeared as a substitute against Sunderland last weekend

I cant honestly believe the t***s give him an ultimatum then again they will now try to say "We pulled out of the deal, he didnt reject us" even though he cleary has.

Theres going to be an interview with Owen in tomorrows Times according to some posts on RAWK. Could be interesting.

HAHAHA Just had a flick through Newcastles rivals site and some of them are saying "I honestly think we've told Owen to f*** off and gone for Luque instead"

To many people believing the press about Rafa not wanting Owen etc

RP, heres the sort of example you were talking of on the other thread.

I did, I havent been that optimistic about it.

That has 100% convinced me he's coming home.

Parry on Sky just now "Wait and see" then smiled.

I wonder if anyone will ask Parry about Owen after the CL draw?

Probably Wednesday or Thursday i'd imagine

I give up, you've totally missed the whole point.

And he'd tell both to f*** off like he already has, it's hardly rocket science.

Newcastles offer means f*** all if he doesnt want to go there just like Lyons offer meant f*** all because Baros wanted to go to Villa. Everton can come in tomorrow and bid 15billion but it wont make a blind bit of difference.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...25/sfnowe25.xml A tense waiting game was being played in England and Spain last night as Real Madrid and Newcastle watched out for Liverpool to mount a move for Michael Owen. The striker had stepped up his attempts to engineer a move back to his Anfield roots after an unhappy spell in Spain only for Newcastle to raise the stakes substantially with a £16 million bid. Owen, now 25, has given up hope of establishing himself at Madrid after a year's toil and increased the pressure on Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez to welcome him back to Merseyside by making a public statement outlining his hopes. He declared that he had his heart set on rejoining Liverpool, but he also revealed that he would settle for a year's loan at Newcastle in order to be at his sharpest in the run-up to next year's World Cup finals. "I said that my ideal situation was to start the season in the Real Madrid team and, if not, I would prefer to return to Liverpool," Owen said. "The Real president understood and said he would try to help me achieve this. If the transfer cannot be finalised in time, I have agreed to go to Newcastle United, but only on a one-year loan. I need to be playing regularly in World Cup year." Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd responded promptly and his club issued a statement yesterday saying that they were willing to break the club's transfer record, the £15 million paid to Blackburn for Alan Shearer in 1996. It is believed the initial transfer fee would be £12 million with the price rising as Owen's career progressed. "Newcastle have met Real Madrid's asking price and conditions," a Newcastle spokesmen said. "The agreed fee will be a record transfer fee for Newcastle. It is now up to the player and his adviser." Newcastle's lavish efforts to court Owen would appear to have put the player out of Liverpool's reach as far as a permanent transfer is concerned. It is understood his former employers would prefer to bring him back to England on a season-long loan. Real are believed to be reluctant to enter such a deal with Champions League rivals and that could ultimately strengthen Newcastle's seemingly audacious attempt to secure Owen's services, especially as the closing of this summer's transfer window draws ever nearer. Officials in Madrid confirmed that Newcastle had made a "serious" bid for their striker but, worryingly for Owen, also confirmed that they had not received an offer from Liverpool. "Newcastle have made a serious offer that has met the requirements of Real Madrid," said Real's director of communications, Antonio Garcia Ferreras. "The move now depends on Newcastle and the player reaching an agreement themselves, but as far as Real Madrid is concerned Michael Owen has the go-ahead to leave." Owen, the 2001 European Footballer of the Year who joined Real Madrid for £8 million a year ago, managed to score 16 goals last season but the signings of Brazilian forwards Robinho and Julio Baptista have pushed him down the pecking order. His year in Madrid was a contrast to his time at Anfield where he was the darling of the Kop, scoring 158 goals in 297 games. Benitez, however, insists his priority is to sign a centre-half and a right-winger. He has Djibril Cisse, Fernando Morientes and Peter Crouch as his main strikers. "I want other players first. I'm happy with my five strikers even now Milan Baros has gone," Benitez said after Tuesday's 3-2 aggregate win over CSKSA Sofia that guaranteed they would be able to defend their European crown in this season's Champions League. Newcastle are desperate to recruit another forward because they have struggled in attack this season. Shearer, 35, has been left to battle alone without adequate support. The move for Owen is reminiscent of last summer when Newcastle offered Everton £25 million for Wayne Rooney, a piece of high-profile business that was seen as an attempt to flush out other interested parties. He subsequently joined Manchester United. Last night Liverpool officials were refusing to comment on Owen's public desire to return to Anfield. Newcastle are confident about their ability to sign Owen and are also hoping to sign the Deportivo winger Albert Luque for £7.5 million before the transfer window closes next week

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/e...rem/4182612.stm Graeme Souness has insisted Newcastle are only interested in signing Real Madrid striker Michael Owen on a permanent basis and not on loan. Newcastle have had a club-record offer, thought to be £17m, accepted by Real, but Owen suggested a loan might happen. Souness said: "As I understand it, the loan is not an option, not a chance. Not when we've made a whacking great offer for him that's been accepted. "He is contracted to Real Madrid and it is not his decision." Souness added: "No player can make that decision. "If Real have accepted our offer and they are happy with that then it is now up to us to make the deal attractive for Michael. "I am guessing that because Real have spent a lot of money on Robinho and Julio Baptista, then like any club they would want to recoup some of their money for a player who might not be involved too much this season. "All I can tell you is we have made a club-record offer that has been accepted by Real Madrid. "It is now up the player and his advisers as to whether he says yes or no. "I am a confident sort of person and I am hopeful Michael will join us. "He knows what we are about. He knows some of the players at our club and I'm sure he will be speaking to them to find out what we can offer him. "That's common sense as far as I see it." BBC Sport understands Liverpool will not pay more than the £8m Real splashed out to land Owen last summer. And he would have to take a pay cut to persuade Liverpool to pursue a deal. Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been coy on the possibility of signing a player he agreed to sell last summer, insisting his priority is a central defender and a right-sided midfield player. But he is interested, and BBC Sport believes Liverpool may finally show their hand after Friday's Super Cup Final in Monaco against CSKA Moscow.

If we're leaving any offer until after the Super Cup does it mean we're leaving it until near enough the last minute so Madrid dont have much choice but to accept our bid, or are we targetting other players first in priority positions?