LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez is putting pressure on Spurs to sell Robbie Keane because he believes they need money to buy Blackburn's David Bentley.

Tottenham insisted today they have no intention of selling their vice-captain, who is valued at £20million. But Benitez knows Spurs have so far baulked at the £17m asking price for former Arsenal star Bentley.

The sale of Berbatov could finance the move but Tottenham have not had any serious offers for the Bulgarian despite rumours that Manchester United remain interested.

Yesterday's news that they are about to complete the signing of Espanyol's Luis Garcia, who plays in a similar position to the Irish international, has given Benitez hope that they may allowKeane to join a team he has supported since childhood.

The Liverpool manager confirmed yesterday that he wants the striker, having ruled out a move for Valencia's Euro 2008 hero David Villa, and revealed Liverpool have been in contact with Spurs. That refers to an enquiry he made a couple weeks ago which was swiftly rebuffed by the north London club.

Benitez added yesterday: "Keane is clearly a player that has game intelligence and we are looking for players who can fit into our systems and improve the team."

By making their intentions known, Liverpool are confident they can force the issue as Keane has often spoken of his desire to play there.

It is a tactic that has worked with Gareth Barry, who has since demanded that Aston Villa allow him to go to Benitez's side, although an agreement has yet to be reached.

Spurs insist that Keane has not handed in a transfer request or is up for sale, but that won't stop Benitez from planning on pairing him with Fernando Torres up

front. Head coach Juande Ramos is still looking to sign a central defender and defensive midfielder and, though he is planning a mass clear-out, many of the players available won't generate too much money.

Benitez also needs to sell players to fund his transfer dealings and has called for Liverpool fans to "trust him".

He said: "We know we will have to sell some players if we want some cash. Our aim is to bring through young players and that can save us money - money that we can spend on big names.

"The fans must trust us, as we are working hard with a lot of people in different countries."

Meanwhile, former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler has left Cardiff to join former team-mate Paul Ince at Blackburn.