Rafa coy on Barry move
Reds chief wants Crouch to stay put
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez refused to be drawn on his interest in Gareth Barry, but revealed he wants to keep Peter Crouch at Anfield.
Villa manager Martin O'Neill has revealed the club have received an offer from Liverpool for England international Barry.
O'Neill claims the offer was a 'mish-mash of nameless player exchanges' with reports suggesting Liverpool could be prepared to offer former Villa man Crouch in an attempt to persuade Villa to do business.
Benitez was not giving anything away about his pursuit of Barry, but admitted some players could leave Anfield as he plans for next season, although he does not want Crouch to be among the departures.
"I read about a lot of names and different players in the press. I also read about my own players, but we do not have any comment. We continue working and that is it," Benitez told Sky Sports News.
"Yes it could be the case [that some players leave]. But you never know in football, but clearly we have some good players and to finish in the top four in the league and Champions League means we have good players and maybe other clubs will be interested in our players.
"We offered to him [Crouch] a new contract, so he has the idea and now it is just speculation. We want to keep him."
Benitez admitted he is working with American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett on Liverpool's transfer plans despite the unrest in the Anfield boardroom.
"We were talking before and I informed everyone in the press conference that we were in contact. We are working together and we will try to progress," added Benitez.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_3509807,00.html
Rafa dément le transfer de Crouch vers Villa en échange de Barry.