HARRY REDKNAPP has revealed he will replace Peter Crouch with TWO strikers if the England international joins Liverpool.
The Champions League winners flew out to their Swiss-based training camp yesterday while Crouch, right, trained with the Saints squad in Scotland ahead of tonight's friendly at Kilmarnock.
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has been left to negotiate with Saints for Crouch, but talks seemed to have reached a stalemate.
Redknapp said: "It has gone a bit quiet for Peter.
"Benitez has still come out saying he wants him but we need to know because if he goes I need to get two strikers."
Should Crouch leave, Redknapp will be left with just Brett Ormerod and Marian Pahars as senior strikers.
Ormerod hardly featured last season and was sent out on loan to both Leeds and Wigan and also offered to Nottingham Forest as part of a deal to bring Andy Reid to St Mary's.
Pahars, meanwhile, has not played for the first team due to injury since April 2004.
Redknapp has praised Crouch for his attitude this week as speculation regarding his future refuses to go away.
He said: "He's a great lad and he gets on with it.
"He's had a few ups and downs in his career so he's level headed and takes it all in his stride.
"It's not the worst position to be in when Liverpool want you and Southampton want to keep you but we'll see what happens.
"Crouchie's a top lad and hopefully we'll keep him. We'd certainly like to."
Redknapp is pleased there has been a good atmosphere generated on tour this week and believes his squad have been boosted by Antti Niemi's move to Celtic falling through.
He said: "The players have been excellent and the mood is good.
"The big thing for me now is that Gordon Strachan's told the chairman he's definitely not going to come back for Niemi.
"That's fine. He's given his word to the chairman so at least we know where we're going with that one.
"Antti's going to be with us next season which is great.
"The problem with those things are that the longer they go on, the bigger the problem.
"I'd have been looking for another goalie and if it had dragged on any longer, the people I had in mind would probably be gone.
"So now that Gordon's said that's the end, that's good news."
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