 BARCELONA are poised to lead a quartet of clubs ready to try and lure Rafael Benitez back to Spain this summer. The Liverpool manager has frequently maintained he wants to stay at Anfield for the foreseeable future and still has more than two years remaining on his current contract. But Barca president Joan Laporta has placed Benitez at the top of his wanted list as the Catalan giants consider replacing Frank Rijkaard as coach. Spanish rivals Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Benitez’s former club Valencia are also closely monitoring developments at Anfield. Despite guiding Barca to the Champions League quarter-finals, Rijkaard’s future at the Nou Camp is under threat with his team having fallen behind Real in the La Liga standings for the second successive season. However, any move for Benitez will only take place if Laporta himself remains at Barca beyond the end of the season. While the Nou Camp board is not unanimously backing Benitez as a replacement for Rijkaard, the decision ultimately rests with Laporta. But Laporta, who has been Barca president since 2003 and is a massive admirer of Benitez, is considering leaving football for a full-time career in politics. At Real Madrid, Bernd Schuster is coming under increasing pressure in his first season in charge following their Champions League dismissal to Roma earlier this month. The Bernabeu team remain top of La Liga but have lost as many times as they have won since the turn of the year. Valencia manager Ronald Koeman, who only took over at the Mestalla at the end of October, is also in a precarious position. Although his team defeated Barcelona last week to reach the Copa del Rey final, they have underachieved in the league and are struggling in 11th. Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre is another unlikely to be in charge at the start of next season, despite his team standing in fourth place and on course for a first Champions League qualification in more than a decade. Benitez’s Anfield tenure has been called into question since discovering co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett met with Jurgen Klinsmann in November to discuss a proposal to become the next Liverpool manager. It led to the Spaniard’s infamous “as always, I am focusing on training and coaching my team” outburst that pushed him to the brink of being dismissed. However, following huge fan protests, an uneasy truce has persisted between Benitez and the co-owners. The continued talk of an imminent takeover by Dubai International Capital has only increased the uncertainty surrounding Benitez’s long-term prospects, with the DIC understood to want a review of every position at the club should they assume control – including that of team manager. While there is a perceived lack of respect in England for his achievements at Liverpool, Benitez is one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe after leading the Anfield outfit to two Champions League finals in three years. And such strong interest from Spain could ultimately test how determined Liverpool are to keep Benitez this summer.
FERNANDO TORRES boosted his chances of appearing in the Merseyside derby when he came through 49 minutes before making way for David Villa in Spain’s friendly with Italy last night. Liverpool’s 27-goal top scorer was initially set to miss the match after a scan on his ribs following Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United but he recovered to take part in his country’s 1-0 win, which came courtesy of Villa’s 76th-minute strike.
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