Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is ready to bring Wigan Athletic striker Emile Heskey back to Anfield in January. The Daily Mail says Heskey could return to Anfield at the end of the season after becoming a shock target for Liverpool.

Manager Rafa Benitez, who arrived at Anfield in 2004 shortly after Heskey was sold by outgoing boss Gerard Houllier, has been alerted to the in-form England striker's eagerness to play in the Champions League again.

He believes Heskey would provide valuable cover for Fernando Torres and is ready to challenge Tottenham and Aston Villa for his services should the 30-year-old continue to resist Wigan manager Steve Bruce's efforts to tie him to a new contract.