Bentley quick to test Ince with demand to leave

David Bentley has wasted no time in spelling out his intention of leaving Blackburn to the club's new manager Paul Ince. The England international had a meeting with Ince at the club's training ground yesterday, when he told him that he wants Rovers to sell him despite the new manager's insistence that he was not prepared to part with any of his star names.

Bentley had not made any secret of his desire to leave the club prior to Ince's appointment as manager last Sunday. However, the speed with which he confronted Ince has surprised those at the club.

Blackburn are privately resigned to selling the player if one of the four Champions League sides makes an offer but, despite preliminary interest from Liverpool that has not been followed up, there is no evidence that the player is in demand.

Ince made keeping Bentley and the striker Roque Santa Cruz his priority when he gave his first press conference in the job on Tuesday. "If the players tell me they want to go and I say no, they will have to knuckle down and help this club go forward," Ince said.

The problem for Bentley is his decision to sign a new contract last year that ties him to the club until 2011. With three years left on his deal it is the club who believe they have the upper hand with the 23-year-old.

Liverpool are close to signing their long-term replacement for John Arne Riise, the Italian left-back Andrea Dossena. The club's chief executive, Rick Parry, said that the Udinese left-back was close to signing. "We are now ready to confirm the signing of Dossena," he said. "The deal should go through next week after finalising the paperwork."

With the Switzerland right-back Philipp Degen earlier signed on a free transfer, the Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, has now replaced both his full-backs. Steve Finnan signed a new three-year deal only one year ago and may regret that decision, given how limited his prospects of first-team football now seem.

The key money-raising deal for Benitez this summer, the sale of Peter Crouch, does not look any closer to completion after the rejection of Ports-mouth's 9m bid last week.

Copyright c 2008 Independent Newspapers UK Limited. All rights owned or operated by The Independent.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.