Liverpool have accepted an offer of around £6m from CSKA Moscow for their outspoken midfielder Albert Riera and hope to conclude the sale of Rafael Benítez's critic by the end of this week.
The Spain international is due to return to training at Melwood today having served a club suspension for last week's public criticism of Benítez's management style. Whether the 27-year-old gets as far as the training pitch is debatable, however, with Liverpool now willing to cash in on the marginalised winger and to allow Riera to discuss personal terms with CSKA.
Liverpool are hopeful of a swift deal for Riera, who has cut an increasingly frustrated figure in a season where he has been restricted to 16 appearances and whose desire for first-team football ahead of the World Cup arguably prompted his outburst on Radio Marca. The winger, signed for £8m from Espanyol in 2008, described Liverpool as a "sinking ship" in the interview and was scathing in the assessment of Benítez, who he claimed held a personal grudge against him and had zero dialogue with players.
Russia's transfer window is open until 8 April and Benítez will have made a profit of approximately £12m through sales this season should Riera follow Andrea Dossena and Andrei Voronin out of Anfield. Even that surplus is not guaranteed to be reinvested in the Liverpool squad this summer, however, with Champions League qualification, or the lack of, determining how much can be spent.
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