Benitez must sell before buying

Benitez knows he will have to box clever to land his transfer targets

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has conceded he will have to sell players to help fund any summer transfer moves.

The Reds have been linked with a second attempt to sign Aston Villa's Gareth Barry, as well as Valencia's David Villa and Portsmouth's Glen Johnson.

Benitez said: "I will have an idea of how much we will have to spend.

"I think we'd have to sell players to increase the money we'll need but at the moment we're not talking about names and money."

The Spaniard added: "We are working on targets and we will try to do things as quickly and cheaply as possible."

606: DEBATE

Rafa says he needs to buy to sell - is this to motivate the players to work harder in our final games and prove themselves if they stay, like Alonso last year?

LFC20

Liverpool are currently chasing their first top-flight title since 1990 but are in second place, three points behind Manchester United, who also have a game in hand.

Liverpool launched an unsuccessful bid for England midfielder Barry last season but were unwilling to meet Villa's reported £18m valuation.

The 28-year-old said he wanted to move to Anfield but in the end he remained with Villa, the club he joined as a youngster and the only one has played for.

Spain and Valencia striker David Villa, 27, was the top scorer at Euro 2008, while 24-year-old England defender Johnson has rediscovered his best form since moving from Chelsea to Portsmouth in 2007.

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Benitez must sell before buying

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