From todays Guardian :
Reds reject Gerrard tie-in for Morientes
Dominic Fifield
Tuesday December 21, 2004
The Guardian
Liverpool are to resist Real Madrid's attempts to include a first option on Steven Gerrard in the deal which is ultimately expected to see Fernando Morientes swap Spain for Merseyside.
Negotiations between the two clubs over the transfer of the Spanish international striker are ongoing, with Liverpool's opening bid of £3.5m having been swiftly rejected. Real now intend to push for a deal which would see Morientes as a makeweight to secure a first option on Gerrard should the midfielder leave Anfield, though the Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry will resist when talks resume today.
The club's board will not countenance Gerrard's future being included at any stage of the deal involving Morientes, even if their refusal to consider that possibility effectively ups the price they have to pay for the 28-year-old and prolongs negotiations. Instead they remain confident that a compromise can still be reached with Real before the opening of the transfer window next month.
Typical of the cheek of Real Madrid, every time we do business with that club they try to pi$$ all over us, Parry must dread negotiations with them.