LIVERPOOL are vowing to fight Manchester United all the way in the acrimonious battle to sign Gabriel Heinze.
Heinze will take his current club to court to force his move to Anfield. Now manager Rafa Benitez has publicly revealed for the first time he has no intention of allowing United’s refusal to sell the left back go unchallenged.
Speaking on the issue in Hong Kong today, Benitez said: “All I can say is we’ve made an offer, they rejected it and the now the lawyers are working.
“Now we must wait. It’s clear he’s a player we like and he’s a very good player. That’s the reason why they don’t want him to leave for us.”
Benitez believes Heinze’s case is strong enough to undermine United’s hardline stance and Liverpool will wait for as long as the player fights on.
Sir Alex Ferguson has stated there is no way he would allow the 29-year-old to go to Anfield, while United chief executive David Gill says a signed letter allowing Heinze to move for a set fee is now ‘meaningless’.
Heinze’s representatives are adamant the agreement he has with United is binding, no matter who’s trying to sign him.
A court hearing could be set within the next fortnight.
The Liverpool squad arrived in Hong Kong to a typically boisterous reception yesterday.
Benitez and his players were overwhelmed by the welcome, although he admits the gruelling schedule isn’t ideal preparation for the season ahead.
“We know we have a lot of fans in Hong Kong and we are looking forward to playing in front of them again. I’m sure they will give us wonderful support,” said Benitez.
“I knew the support would be like this. It’s magnificent.
“We will see if we can train properly here in the heat, but we knew this. Everything is under control. It’s not easy because we need to travel too much.”
Liverpool face Hong Kong champions South China in their opening tour game tomorrow.
