Liverpool boss Benitez remains keen on Villa striker Heskey

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez remains keen on Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey.

The Telegraph says Benítez is likely to commission the sale of at least three squad players when the January transfer window opens, with Ryan Babel, Andrea Dossena and Andriy Voronin the probable victims of his attempts to trim his playing staff.

The Spaniard will be handed some funds to reinforce his depleted squad, though, with an experienced striker likely to be his priority - and Heskey remains his preferred option.

The England man is no longer a first-choice at Villa.