LIVERPOOL have cooled their interest in Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa - as Daniel Agger took a step closer to leaving Brondby today.
Rafa Benitez is not planning a fresh approach for Portuguese international Simao, despite making a £10m bid for the right winger last summer.
Benfica's signing of Laurent Robert has increased speculation Simao will leave the Stadium of Light, and Liverpool are his first choice.
But despite claims Liverpool are back in the bidding, there's no prospect of Benitez reigniting his efforts at this stage, unless Benfica substantially reduce their asking price for the 26-year-old.
Benitez's transfer priorities have altered since August and he's not prepared to allocate a large chunk of his funds on the player.
The Spanish boss is also reluctant to engage in long negotiations to conclude a deal which wasted precious time last summer and ultimately ended in disappointment.
He feels other avenues will prove more fruitful.
While the pursuit of a right winger remains on hold, Danish centre-half Agger has been pulled out of a weekend indoor tournament in Brondby as his club gave the first indication they expect a deal with Liverpool to be concluded imminently.
Both Agger and his chief executive have now returned from holiday, and the Reds will step up negotiations to sign the 21-year-old today.
Benitez is hoping for a swift conclusion over the next 48 hours.
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