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PORTSMOUTH expect to complete an £11million deal for Peter Crouch on Monday.

Harry Redknapp has been chasing him ever since the 6ft 7in Liverpool hitman was told he could move this summer.

Pompey had one £9m bid turned down by the Reds but have returned with an improved offer. They will pay an initial £9m but that could rise to £2m in add-ons.

Crouch, 26, admitted he had to find a new club as another season of bit-part appearances from the bench could see him slip out of the England picture.

Ideally, Liverpool wanted to use him as a makeweight in their bid for Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry, or even as bait to help tempt Spurs into letting Robbie Keane move.

But Crouch has always had his heart set on returning to the club where he spent a season six years ago and linking up with manager Redknapp again.

Ironically, Redknapp sold him to Villa from Pompey in 2002, but resurrected the player’s career by taking him to Southampton in 2004.

Last season Crouch still hit 13 goals despite spending most of the campaign on the sidelines, with Fernando Torres the lone striker.

His departure will also kick-start the Reds’ summer business, allowing Rafa Benitez to pursue his moves for a striker and midfielder in addition to Barry.

The Kop boss is keen on Valencia’s Spain star David Villa, and has also checked out Newcastle winger James Milner and Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing. But Benitez is refusing to meet Villa’s £18m asking price for Barry.

However, Villa chief Martin O’Neill is planning for life without the 27-year-old England midfielder.

O’Neill desperately needs to strengthen his squad after losing Olof Mellberg, Thomas Sorensen, Scott Carson and Patrik Berger in the summer.

Doubts also surround Shaun Maloney’s Villa future while Curtis Davies and Stephen O’Halloran are still recovering from long-term injuries.

But O’Neill said: “Although the players did fantastically last season we had the smallest squad in the Premier League, and we wouldn’t want that to be the case this season, so we are going to address it.

“If Gareth Barry had decided to stay we were still going to address it. Now it’s even more important than ever we do it. It’s all systems go.”

Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell, 25, is expected to be one of the first arrivals while O’Neill is ready to bid £15m for Blackburn’s David Bentley, 23.

Milner, 22, Anton Ferdinand, 23, Aaron Lennon, 21, and keeper Brad Guzan, 23, are also on his radar.

O’Neill also hit back at Barry’s criticism he had been more interested in Euro punditry than Villa.

He said: “It was a case of working there for two or three days then coming back and working here.”