Agent - Aquilani will stay - Zavaglia declares Reds midfielder happy to stay at Anfield

Posted Friday, July 22, 2011 by skysports.com

Agent - Aquilani will stay - Zavaglia declares Reds midfielder happy to stay at Anfield
quilani: Looks set to stay at Anfield

Alberto Aquilani's agent has declared that the player will stay at Liverpool for the coming season, playing down rumours of a possible move to Fiorentina.

The Italy international has been consistently linked with a transfer back to his homeland after spending the whole of last season on loan at Juventus, but the Bianconeri refused to meet the Reds' asking price.

Although a move to Juve now appears to be impossible, Fiorentina had been thought to be preparing a bid for the former Roma midfielder due to his apparent willingness to move back to Italy.

Aquilani joined Liverpool in 2009 for £17million as a direct replacement for Xabi Alonso, but injuries and a lack of fitness restricted him to just 18 league appearances as he failed to make an impact in his first term at Anfield.

The 27-year-old was then loaned back to Italy to find his fitness by former Reds boss Roy Hodgson last summer, and the player gradually rediscovered his form to become a key figure for Juventus.

Reds boss Kenny Dalglish appears willing to retain Aquilani's services despite adding three players to his swelling midfield ranks, and the player has performed well in pre-season to suggest he still has a future on Merseyside.

Aquilani's agent Franco Zavaglia insisted that his client was ready to fight for his place at Liverpool, and that he wanted to prove himself in the Premier League.

"Alberto overcame his ankle problem, coming back into the national team and he has the characteristics to do good things in the Premier League too," Zavaglia told Radio Mana Mana.

"He is at a summer camp training with Liverpool, playing positively in all games of their summer tour."