"Pennant scuppers Real move with wage demands"

Reports suggest that Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has narrowly missed out a sensational move to Real Madrid - by demanding too high a wage from the Spanish giants.

Out-of-favour Pennant's Anfield appearances have been scant this season, and it has been no secret that his future lies away from Merseyside.

The Daily Mail said Pennant was all set for a shock £3.5 million move to the Spanish capital, but saw the deal collapse over the contract details. The 25-year-old former Arsenal and Birmingham winger reportedly wanted £60,000-a-week, while Real were only willing to pay him half that amount.

He now looks set to move on loan to a Premier League club, with Stoke and Wigan most heavily linked. Though last weekend saw suggestions that Benitez wanted to swap him with Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon. The £6.7m signing, who has failed to find a home at Liverpool, just as he did at Arsenal, who paid £2m for him as a 15-year-old from Notts County in 1999.