20 May 2006
RAFA TARGETS BARCA'S GIULY
By John Cross And David Maddock
LIVERPOOL boss Rafael Benitez is chasing Champions League winner Ludovic Giuly, who has hit contract deadlock at Barcelona.
Giuly, 29, played in the Champions League Final but has not been a regular in the side and his lack of games cost him a place in the France World Cup squad.
The winger (above) wants a two-year extension at the Nou Camp but has only been offered 12 months, which alerted Benitez.
Benitez will pay £3m to bring Giuly to the club, which it emerged last night may be close to being taken over by the billionaire Kraft family.
The Americans behind the Kraft Foods empire admitted they were on the verge of buying Liverpool earlier in the year, after extensive talks with the Anfield board, have cleared the way for a renewed bid,
They own Major League Soccer team New England Revolution and American football side New England Patriots.
And speaking last night on a radio show in Boston, Jonathan Kraft discussed talks with an English club earlier this year.
Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry visited the US in January to meet the Krafts and it was widely believed he opened talks while there.
That was not confirmed at the time, but Kraft, son of company boss Robert - who is worth £4bn - indicated a £200m takeover was near.
"We came very close to buying a Premiership team, very close," he said. "We like to acquire. We like to go forward, and are excited by the potential of soccer ownership in Europe.
"I have spoken to my dad a lot about it, and we agree we have to be offensive in our ownership mentality."
apparament la famille kraft a été sur le point de racheter le lfc il dit"nous allions bientot bouler l'achat d'une equipe de premiership.nous etions tres excité a l'idée d'acquerireune equipe de foot en europe."
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