Sissoko talks still ongoing

Juve keen to land Liverpool midfielder

By Nadia Carminati   Last updated: 12th January 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Sissoko talks still ongoing

Sissoko: Keen to move

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Mohamed Sissoko has confirmed that negotiations over his proposed move to Juventus are still in progress.

The Serie A side have been chasing the Mali international since the transfer window opened, but with the player now on African Cup of Nations duty the deal will have to be delayed.

Sissoko has made just six Premier League starts for Liverpool this season and has become disillusioned by life at Anfield.

He remains hopeful that the move to Turin will eventually materialise and is just waiting for the two clubs to come to an agreement.

Serious

"It's not up to me. It depends on the clubs," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Yes, the Juve interest is serious and I hope something will come of it.

"I can accept that manager's look for stability and that there is no prejudice, but the current choice of (Javier) Mascherano and (Xabi) Alonso is not something I understand.

"As a result I asked my agent to look around, and if it was up to me I would leave immediately.

"Juventus are a great club, and Claudio Ranieri is a great person."

Despite his desire to leave Anfield as soon as possible, Sissoko did admit that his time with the club has helped to make him a better player.

Grow

"I owe a lot to (Rafael) Benitez," he said. "He allowed me to grow as a player.

"He wanted me at Liverpool, but then last season, after my injury, something changed."

Another issue which needs to be resolved before the deal goes through is the fact that Juventus are keen to take the player on-loan for now with a view to 10million euros (£7.5million) move in the summer.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are keen to sell the player immediately in order to provide Benitez with funds to find a replacement.