Liverpool have given striker Peter Crouch permission to speak to Portsmouth about a move back to Fratton Park.Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez initially said he would only consider offers for England international Crouch in the region of £15million but an Anfield spokesman today confirmed: "We have reached a verbal agreement with Portsmouth and have given them permission to speak with Peter."
Portsmouth had already had one offer - believed to be £9mllion - turned down by their Premier League rivals for the 27-year-old, but manager Harry Redknapp has finally won the race to bring Crouch, who he sold to Aston Villa for £5million in 2002 in his first stint at Fratton Park, back to the south coast.
"Crouch did a very good job for me when I had him before and I am sure he will do the same now," Redknapp said in the Daily Mirror.
"I had to sell him at Portsmouth because I needed to spend the money we got from Villa on the rest of the team.
"Crouchie has got bags of ability and apart from being good in the air he is very skillful on the ground."
