Micheal Owen today confirmed that his advisors had been in talks with four Premiership teams over the weekend, after being told Real would not stand in his way should he wish to move back to England.
Owen said today: "Real Madrid contacted my advisors over the weekend and explained that they wanted me to stay but that they would not stand in my way if the right opportunity arose for me to return to the Premiership.
"With the knowledge of Real Madrid, there has been brief dialogue with three or four Premiership clubs although no formal negotiations of any kind have taken place."
There’s been no confirmation of who the clubs where, nor has there been any word on whether those clubs showed any interest in the player. Liverpool are one of those clubs spoken to though, and the European Champions are willing to take Owen back if they can cut a deal with the Spanish side.
Most of the press are reporting that Liverpool have ruled themselves out of a move for the player. This is not true – Liverpool have neither confirmed nor denied in public their intentions over Owen. As we reported last night, when Rafa Benitez was interview by ITV2 prior to the Champions League game, he avoided a direct answer to the question. The interviewer had asked if he was looking just for a centre-back and a right-sided midfielder, not a centre-forward such as Michael Owen. His answer: "At this moment we have a lot of strikers". The interviewer continued, "So Michael Owen is not an option?" to which Rafa replied, smiling, "we are looking for a centre-back and a right-winger".
Liverpool are weighing up the options over a move for Owen, either on loan or on a permanent deal. Real’s transfer dealings are always complicated though – look at the Luis Figo situation for example – and so a deal may not be done until late this month.