Benitez says Villa not a target but Keane is

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez ruled out making a move for Spain striker David Villa yesterday.

Benitez, who has allowed striker Peter Crouch to join Portsmouth, had been linked with the Valencia player who starred at last month's Euro 2008 finals.

"I said the other day that Villa is one of the names we had on our list, but I can say at this moment that it is not an option for us," Benitez said.

"We know Villa is a very good player, we know the price and we know the players we have, so when you consider everything we decided he was one of the names but, at this moment, not our target."

However, Benitez confirmed that a move for Tottenham Hotspur's Ireland striker Robbie Keane was a possibility.

"Keane is one of the other names and OK we are still working with other names. We were in contact and we will see now," he said.

The Liverpool manager also said that he fears that winger Ryan Babel could be called up by the Netherlands for the Olympics soon after recovering from an ankle injury.

Babel missed Euro 2008 and Benitez said he wanted a fully-fit player available for the season ahead.

"We're really worried because after getting him fit it's likely we could lose him again if he's selected for the Olympics," said Benitez.

Babel is back in training, and Benitez said he was expecting the 21-year-old to make a major impact in his second season in English football.

"In his first season he was settling in but now we're looking for him to give something from the start," Benitez said.