Pennant wants to stay

Published on 16/01/2009 21:27

JERMAINE Pennant has urged Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez not to sell him to Portsmouth.

The two clubs have agreed a fee for the 26-year-old winger, who has only started two Barclays Premier League games for Liverpool this season.

Portsmouth announced yesterday that Pennant, who has also been linked with glamorous moves to Real Madrid and AC Milan, was due on the south coast to discuss personal terms "over the next few days".

But Pennant insists he would rather stay at Anfield and fight for his place in the first team.

"My preference is to stay at Liverpool and I am still hoping to do so," said Pennant. "There has been a lot of speculation about my future but I have always maintained my position of wanting to stay at the club. I am happy to compete for my place here and hope I am given the chance to do so." Pennant joined Liverpool from Birmingham for 6.7million and played in the 2007 Champions League final defeat by AC Milan – but he has not featured for the Reds since 28 October. And Portsmouth manager Tony Adams wants to make Pennant, a former Arsenal club-mate, his first signing since taking over at Fratton Park.

Adams said: "Jermaine is a player I've been tracking because he's not getting regular first-team football. We've had a bid accepted by Liverpool and want to get him down here ASAP."

Meanwhile, Adams, who has sold Lassana Diarra to Real Madrid and Jermain Defoe to Tottenham, denied any interest in re-signing Benjani Mwaruwari from Manchester City.