£6m Pennant bid

[Beefy]

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has made a £6m bid for Birmingham winger Jermaine Pennant. (Daily Mirror)

[Beefy]

Liverpool are close to sealing a £6.2m swoop for Birmingham winger Jermaine Pennant, according to a report.

Birmingham revealed earlier on Tuesday that they turned down a £3.5m offer for the 23-year-old from Liverpool.

Now the Press Association has been told by a source close to Blues that an improved bid has been accepted with Pennant now set for talks at Anfield.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said on Monday there "could be another two players in by the weekend".

One of those now seems certain to be Pennant, and it is claimed that Holland international Dirk Kuyt will be the other - if the Reds can negotiate Feyenoord down from their £12m asking price.

The Press Association's report says Liverpool have already failed with a player-plus-cash offer which would have seen Jan Kromkamp and Jerzy Dudek going to Feyenoord.

Pennant's arrival would solve Benitez's search for a right-sided midfielder, with his first choice, Sevilla's Daniel Alves, proving too pricy at £12m.

The Birmingham player is much cheaper, even after the Championship club negotiated the fee upwards because they knew they had to give Pennant's old club Arsenal a quarter of any cash receieved for him.

Blues boss Steve Bruce said earlier: "There has only been one bid of around £3.5m but we don't want to sell him for that."

They reportedly wanted £8m, but have settled for £6.2m, even though St Andrews managing director Karren Brady had said the player would not be sold at all.

[Jack]

taken off sky sports.

Birmingham City winger Jermaine Pennant is reportedly undergoing a medical at Liverpool ahead of his proposed £6.2 million move to the Premiership side.

Widespread reports indicated on Wednesday morning that The Reds were close to tying up a deal for the former Arsenal man, and if Pennant passes the examination and agrees personal terms then he could fly out to join Rafa Benitez's side in Switzerland.

Blues boss Steve Bruce admitted on Tuesday that the Championship side had turned down a bid of £3.5 million for the player who first burst into the national consciousness when signing for Arsenal from Notts County in a record deal as a 15-year-old.

A subsequent offer of £6.2 million may have been enough to prise Pennant from St Andrews, and the 23-year-old will now join The Reds for pre-season training should he pass his medical at Melwood.

The winger could now make his debut for the club against German outfit Kaiserslautern on Saturday, whilst Benitez has also moved to secure the future of fellow wide-man Paul Anderson.

The 18-year-old, signed from Hull City in January, has impressed the Spanish boss during pre-season and has been rewarded with a new-four year contract at Anfield.

Anderson will now look to break into the first team picture under Benitez and joins goalkeeper Scott Carson in committing his future to the club.

[Toffee]

He is not worth £6million

[Beefy]

Liverpool have signed Jermaine Pennant from Birmingham in a £6.7m deal.

The price for the 23-year-old winger, who has joined on a four-year contract, could rise to £8m with add-ons.

The Blues initially turned down a £3.5m offer and negotiated a higher fee as they have to give Pennant's old club Arsenal 25% of the cash received.

Pennant, who joined City last summer after a successful four-month loan spell, is expected to immediately join his new team-mates in Switzerland.

And he could make his debut for the club he supported as a child on Saturday against Kaiserslautern in Liechtenstein.

"If I'm needed, I'm fit to play," Pennant said.

"I've dreamt about this since I was a little boy so to actually be here and to be able to wear a Liverpool shirt and play at Anfield is a dream come true. I'm over the moon.

"My best will come at this club because I am playing alongside top quality players who will only help me develop my game.

"This is the best club in the country and the best club to be at so if I can't do it here then I won't be able to do it anywhere.

"I've still got a long career ahead of me because I'm still young, but hopefully I'll enjoy all my good times here.

"I've come here to be successful and it'd be a great feeling if I can win trophies as a Liverpool player."

Pennant added: "I had a great time in my 18 months at Birmingham City, and everybody, including the fans were absolutely fantastic to me.

"Hopefully I will have the opportunity to play against them in the Premiership sooner rather than later, because that is where they deserve to be.

"When I had my problems, Steve Bruce and the club showed faith in me.


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It does seem an excessive amount for a largely unproven player

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"I'll always be grateful to Steve and the rest of the coaching staff because they have provided me with the opportunity to take on a new challenge in my career."

Pennant's arrival solves Rafael Benitez's search for a right-sided midfielder, with his first choice, Sevilla's Daniel Alves, proving too pricey at £12m.

The England Under-21 international, who joined Birmingham for £3m, joins Wales striker Craig Bellamy at Anfield as Benitez looks to invest in young British talent.

But in Pennant, the Liverpool coach has purchased one of football's most notorious players.

In 2005 the midfielder become the first footballer to play in the Premiership while wearing an electronic tag. He had served 21 days in jail after being found guilty of drink driving while banned and having no insurance.

Originally Pennant had been banned from driving for 16 months in 2004 after being seen travelling in the wrong lane in Paddington, west London.

Also in 2005 it was reported that Birmingham sent the player home from training after he turned up under the influence of alcohol.

And in a separate incident that year, Pennant was alleged to have become involved in an argument with a man outside a restaurant on the Greek island of Zante, which led to the man punching him.

In 2003, Pennant was sent home from an England Under-21 training camp for breaking a curfew.