Back in for Crouch?

Todays headlines has been characterized by manager Roy Hodgson saying he wants "five or six" player signings in january.

- We are going to be very interested in improving our squad in January, Hodgson said in the Daily Star.

- I'm prepared to accept that a number of players we're looking to sign do make five or six - but I don't wish to specify positions other than one is obviously a front player, the manager says.

And according to the same paper Hodgson is targeting former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch for the January shopping spree.

- In January we should be really looking to solve one or two situations. We are desperately short of players. Front players. “Having three front players at the club, and that’s if you include Ryan Babel, is nowhere near good enough, is his not surprising statement.

Another familiar name making the headlines today is Wigans Charles N’Zogbia.

According to The People Liverpool will launch a £9m bid for the Wigan winger.

Since turning down a move to Birmingham in the summer N'Zogbia has been in stunning form.

Hodgson and talent-spotter Kenny Dalglish watched French wing wizard N’Zogbia (above) in top form against Bolton last weekend when they went to see him and run the rule over today’s opponents.

The Anfield pair saw enough to send three of their top scouts, including number one Eduardo Macia, to check him out in midweek – only for N’Zogbia to be restricted to a brief appearance as a sub in the Carling Cup, the paper reports.

Croatian midfielder in January?

Todays most exiting rumour is that Liverpool in January will be making a swoop for Spurs midfielder Niko Kranjcar.

According to Metro The Times reports that the Croatian player has indicated he is keen to leave Spurs after falling out of favour at White Hart Lane because of the form of Gareth Bale and summer signing Rafael van der Vaart.

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He could get his wish to move on after Liverpool asked about his availability, The Times reports.

Kranjcar, 26, has played in England since 2006, initially with Portsmouth before making a £2 million switch to Tottenham in 2009. However, a move for Kranjcar would test the commitment of Liverpool's new owners, as Spurs are believed to value him at around £7 million.

 

The Daily Star is reporting that Liverpool and Tottenham target Ashley Young is refusing to sign a new deal with Aston Villa unless a £14million buyout clause is inserted into the contract. 

 

According to the paper, Young has had fresh talks about a £70,000 per week which would see his contract extended beyond its expiration in 2012. If Young continues to insist on such a clause however, Villa manager Gerard Houllier is willing to let the player go as he believes the player to be worth closer to £20-22million. 

 

The Star believes that a move in January could be possible if no new contract is agreed with both the Reds and Spurs both interested in signing the 25 year old winger.

More surprising is reports from the likes of Sky Sports and the Daily Mail stating that we are about to Gillinghams Ashley Miller. 

 

Miller, 16, has been in his club's junior ranks since 2003 and has gained a reputation as one of the most promising strikers in the country. His form was understood to have attracted Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham.

 

He is regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in England.

Liverpool's scouting team have moved quickly to arrange a deal to take the striker to Anfield with the club keen to tie up the move to ward off other suitors.

Miller is the latest young talent to come through the ranks at Gillingham with the club having sold 15-year-old Luke Freeman to Arsenal for a six-figure fee in 2008.

Positive Liverpool transfer news

Today there was positive news about Roy Hodgson, NESV and the January transfer window.

According to official sources Hodgson is eager to spend big in January and shop at the highest levels of the transfer market.

 Hodgosn appears ready to match the kind of money that predecessor Rafa Benitez spent on the likes of Alberto Aquilani, Robbie Keane and Fernando Torres.   

- If we want the right quality, we have got to be prepared to pay the right price, Hodgson told the LFC official website.

- The owners know that perfectly well. We have got to make certain that if we go out and spend £20 million, we are getting a £20 million player. We want to be attracting the players that Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter are chasing. It would be nice to think that we can shop at a high level, he said.

Liverpool FC owner John Henry also today pledged to bring in new talent rather than sell stars.

He today illustrated his determination to take Liverpool back to the top – as he rubbished the idea he would allow any top names to leave in January.

Henry has made it clear once again that his intention is to invest in Liverpool’s squad, as he poured scorn on ideas that he would allow it to be dismantled. 

- Stories about our top players leaving are destructive and unwarranted but we realise that this kind of speculation is also common.We intend to build on the strength of the current squad, not undermine it. And I can reassure our supporters that we have no intention of allowing the team to be weakened going forward, Henry said to The Liverpool Echo.

Anyway Hodgson is probably prepared to use significant parts of his transfer funds on at least one striker in january. And according to Metro two strikers tops his list of targets.

The site claims Mirko Vucinic and Adam Szalai will be his top targets. 

Montenegran international Vucinic has attracted plaudits for his form over the last 12 months, although the 27-year-old may be too expensive for the Reds if, as expected, his price tag is set significantly above the £20million mark. 

However, Hodgson has also identified Roma striker Szalai - a 22-year-old Hungarian currently plying his trade in the Bundesliga - as a more realistic and affordable option. The prize of the versatile Vucinic is said to be at around £12million. The player however signed a new, long-term contract last year.

Szalai has earned the praise of the Liverpool scouting network in recent months. The Hungarian has played in Real Madrid's B side, as well as for German giants Stuttgart and now Mainz, but is still likely to be a relative bargain at around £2.5million.

On the other hand Goal.com reports Mirko Vucinic is only a target if Fernando Torres leaves Anfield. 

Hodgson has identified the Montenegrin striker as a target as fears grow that the club might have to sell Torres in January, the site reports.

Hodgson considers Vucinic and Torres to be too similar to pair together and would therefore only sign the Roma frontman as a like-for-like replacement for his main striker. 

Earlier reported Atletico Madrid target, Lyon striker Lisandro Lopez - apparently has been offered to Liverpool.

Spanish newspaper Cadena Ser suggested Lopes was a target for the Madrid club, financed by a sale of Diego Forlan - also a reported Liverpool target.

Now, however The Daily Mirror, according to Givemefootball suggests that the French club are prepared to let their Argentine forward leave for the right price, and have sounded out Liverpool over a potential deal.

When it comes to another earlier rumour - it appears it will be out of range for Liverpool.

The player in question is Fernando Llorente, and according to Spanish Football writer Guillem Balague, he is way to expensive for the Liverpool transfer budgets.

Fernando Llorente costs 36m euros - money I don`t think Liverpool have at the moment. Llorente is thinking about moving on but I would favour Barcelona over Real Madrid, who will also want him, Balague writes.

 

Five strikers and one defender linked

The Mirror today comes up with an utterly silly and gibberish story about Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina wanting to leave Liverpool in january.

They are, according to the paper, ready to use secret escape clauses in theire contracts to quit Anfield. The paper though has no quoted sources what so ever. So we don't belive that, do we?

Roy Hodgson has on his hand warned Manchester United that goalkeeper Pepe Reina is not for sale.

Anyway Roy Hodgson would want to pair Torres with another striker in january. But who would that be?

One alternative apparently is Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo. Liverpool are prepared to break the bank to land the Chilean goal scorer who could make a £22 million move to Anfield in January, if we are to belive Mexican publication Ultima Hora, Givemefootball.com reports.

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Cardozo will be a familiar name to the Anfield faithful after the Chilean struck three times in two matches against Rafa Benitez's Reds in last season's Europa League.

Liverpool appear to be frontrunners for his signature in a deal which would firmly establish NESV as serious backers to the Anfield cause.

Earlier reported Liverpool target Ibrahim Afellay has according to Goal.com rubbished talk of an agreement with Atletico Madrid. 


The player has been made available by PSV Eindhoven in January after he failed to agree a new contract. The Dutch side do no want the player to leave on a free transfer next summer when his deal runs out, and a fee had reportedly been agreed with Atletico. 

But this is not true. 

- We have not reached any agreement with any club whatsoever. Not even with Atletico. Some of the names in the press are correct, but I do not wish to confirm any one, his agent says.

Another earlier reported potential transfer target in the January transfer window is Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan.

It is believed that he could be made available in January to finance a move for Lyon’s Lisandro Lopez, reports Spanish newspaper Cadena Ser.

Both Spurs and Liverpool are said to be interested in signing the 31 year old Uruguayan and any move by Atletico for Lopez could see either English club pounce for the prolific goalscorer.

The same is the case for Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, who according to The Daily Mail are going to be offloaded to finance a £40m move for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.

The Reds missed out on a loan deal for the German international in the summer but Roy Hodgson is still believed to be keen on signing the 25 year old.

Another striker turning up on the rumour mill is Mirko Vucinic. 

The Montenegro international is reportedly keen on a Stadio Olimpico exit after clashing with manager Claudio Ranieri, and Liverpool are thought to be one of the interested parties in the player, says Givemefootball.com. 

Temperament could be a key issue in any decision to move for the player, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson would have to pay in the region of £13 million to bring him to Anfield. 

Reports in Italy suggest the player is looking to move after reactingly badly to being substituted in the 0-0 draw against Parma, and the aforementioned fee is a reduced price from La Maggica's original valuation. 

And finaly a defencive player is being linked. This time it's the Real Madrid defender Royston Drenthe, who Liverpool reportedly have made contact with Real Madrid over.

The 23-year-old is currently on a season-long loan at La Liga side Hercules, earning rave-reviews for his performances. Liverpool are thought to have been impressed by Drenthe's performances at the José Rico Pérez stadium, and Spanish paper Sport notes that Jose Mourinho would be willing to listen to offers for the former U21 international.

Roy Hodgson is still thought to be keen on bringing the player to Anfield, and it's thought that Liverpool will have to pay a fee in the region of £8 million for the player.

No big signings in January?

Today there are several reports on Liverpool not going to bring in any new big names in the January transfer window. On the other hand the rumours of transfer war chests and players keep on coming like never before.

The Evening Herald reports about Liverpool needing to get theire books in order before the club can buy players.

Hodgson will not target any trophy signings in the January transfer window as Liverpool's new owner, New England Sports Ventures, looks to put a stop to the profligate spending which it believes has hampered the club's progress in recent years, the paper reports.

NESV's takeover freed up £36m a year on revenue -- money that had previously been used to service Liverpool's £282m debts -- to be reinvested in the club.

Although its offer also made provisions for an immediate injection of funds into the playing staff, the American consortium has made it clear it expects value for money, both from fees and salaries.

- At the Boston Red Sox, we invested a lot in management and the scouting system, said NESV chairman Tom Werner, The Daily Telegraph reports.

- We believe the foundation of any good sports club has to be the experience, valuation and understanding of scouting, so we will invest in that as well, he sayd.

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Also says the same newspaper Hodgson and his scouting team in recent weeks have been following the Standard Liège captain Steven Defour. A long-term target for the Liverpool manager.

The newspaper believes that at 22, and around £12 million, Defour represents minimum risk for maximum reward.

The player has also been followed by Hodgsons good friend Alex Ferguson, but the manager according to Sportsvibe intends to challenge Manchester United in securing the signature of highly-rated Standard Liege midfielder

The Telegraph also mentions the PSV Eindhoven Winger Ibrahim Afellay, whom Liverpool have assessed on several occasions.

Already a Dutch international at 24 and heralded for several years as one of the brightest prospects in Europe, Afellay would fall within Liverpool's budget, while his wage demands would remain comparatively modest.

More expensive would be Eden Hazard, Defour's Belgian international team-mate, currently with Lille.

Earlier reported transfer goal for Hodgson, Diego Forlan is again being mentioned on the rumour mill.

According to Goal.com the Atletico Madrid striker is keen on a move to the Premiership in january. They say Liverpool and Tottenham are set to battle for the Uruguayan star.

He is apparently targeting a move to England after setting his heart on a return to the Premier League when the transfer window re-opens.

Liverpool and Spurs have been made aware of the €17 million-rated striker's availability and NESV will back the manager with funds to strengthen the squad and the former Fulham boss has made signing a striker to partner Fernando Torres his priority.

Spurs made a summer enquiry for Forlan but were put off by the €27m asking price. 

Another new name appearing today is the St Etienne defensive midfielder Blaise Matuidi. 

The French player was linked with Arsenal and a host of other clubs last winter and Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in Matuidi. It appears that English clubs would have an advantage in any attempt to sign the France international.

- The league that would suit me best is the Premier League. This is due to tactical, cultural and physical reasons, and the atmosphere in the stadiums, the player says according to Sky Sports.

Todays most surprising link is to the West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt. 

The 25-year-old Northern Ireland international has produced a string of eye-catching displays at the Hawthorns, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is thought to be keen on bringing the player to Anfield, Givemefootball reports.

The have taken the story from The Belfast Telegraph, who says the player is an £8m target for Liverpool.

- West Brom will be reluctant to let Brunt go but Roy will have money to spend and he’s been impressed by Brunt and the influence he’s had on games this season, a Liverpool source told the paper.

And the most shocking link right now is to Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar.

Pienaar has been unable to agree terms on a new deal, and the Metro reports that new Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is keen to bring the player to Anfield, according to Givemefootball.

David Moyes could be forced to sell or risk losing the player on a free transfer in the summer, although he has said he'd rather have the player for six more months than sell on the cheap.

Four players linked

The rumour mill is running warm with speculations to what players Hodgson is going to bring to Anfield in january.

The biggest rumour right now is about the Hungarian striker Adam Szalai. The player is today according to Sky Sports being linked with Liverpool and Inter Milan.

The player is today earning his trade with the Bundesliga side Mainz, scoring three goals for the German outfit and claimed a hat-trick in Hungary's 8-0 win over San Marino earlier this month before adding his fourth goal in five internationals in their 2-1 win over Finland.
 
The 22-year-old was a youth player at Real Madrid and joined Mainz on a six-month loan last season before moving to Germany on a permanent basis this summer.

Reports in Hungary claim he could be set to return to one of Europe's big clubs, although his agent, Oliver Fischer, stressed there is no rush for him to move on.

- If there was an offer then it's likely that we would consider it, he told Nemzeti Sport.

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On to the Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, who reportedly is set to quit the San Siro in January.

Liverpool is said to be among the clubs following the player, who earlier has played for Portsmouth, Sports.co.uk reports.

His representative did stress that there is interest from Spain, but the Premier League is the Ghanaian’s preferred destination.

- It could be that he will leave in the January transfer window, we have to arrange a meeting in the next few days in Milan to discuss his future, and then we will know the conditions of a transfer. There has been contact from the Premier League, but also in Spain. But for Sulley a return to England and the Premier League is definitely a possibility, he said. 

Another player appearing in the transfer jungle today is Borussia Dortmund’s highly rated in form youngster Nuri Sahin.

Roy Hodgson is according to Caughtoffside lining up a January swoop for the player.

TheTurkish international has been in superb form this season helping his side to second place in the Bundesliga and appears to be a player that the Anfield manager is interested in bringing in to boost the club’s midfield.

Now in his fifth season in the Dortmund first team Sahin has been in sparkling form this term with his box to box performances attracting a lot of interest including from German giants Bayern Munich who appear to have a healthy interest in the young Turk.

Unrealisticly The Daily Star reports that Hodgson will be given a £60million transfer budget, with £30m of them for january. 

The paper stated that one of the managers first priorities in January will be to spend a sizeable chunk on Benfica wing back Fabio Coentrao.

Coentrao impressed for Portugal during this summer’s World Cup, alongside team-mate Raul Meireles, and Hodgson believes Coentrao could add extra depth to Liverpool’s defence and midfield.

Originally a left winger, Coentrao converted to left back for Benfica with considerable success last season and helped the Portuguese club to the league title. He was then first choice full back for Carlos Queiroz for Portugal in South Africa.

Young and Forlan in january?

After the good performance in the Blackburn game its back to the old rumour mill!

According to The People Roy Hodgson is ready to splash out of his £30m transfer kitty in the january transfer window on Ashley Young.

Tottenham apparently has an interest for the Aston Villa winger. But Liverpool are set to challenge Harry Redknapp for the players signature if he decides to leave Aston Villa.

The winger is stalling on a new contract and Roy Hodgson will be buoyed by the situation as he attempts to add five to his squad in January.

The Reds boss will be given about £30million to spend, the paper reports - and wants two of his signings to be British.

He feels it is vital to add the homegrown ingredient to his crop of under-achievers, and will not be put off by Young’s £14m price tag.

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The same paper has a less credible story about Hodgson losing his patience with Fernando Torres.

According to The People Hodgson wants to replace him with £15m rated Diego Forlan. 

The Anfield club are ready to sell Torres, the paper reports - with Chelsea and Manchester City both keen to snap him up. Hodgson is apparently concerned about the fitness and attitude of his star striker and there is a widespread feeling at the club that the player wants out and his departure is almost inevitable.

And Hodgson has identified former Manchester United flop Forlan, of Atletico Madrid, as his leading target in the transfer window.

The Uruguayan, who was joint highest scorer at the World Cup, admits he is keen for a move back to the Premier League after six years of prolific goalscoring in La Liga.

Tottenham and Everton are also interested in the player but Liverpool now have the transfer kitty to lure the 31-year-old.

Personally I would not have minded bringing Forlan to Anfield, but not at the price of selling Torres. Given a spacious kitty in the january window there's nothing to suggest that we should not afford to have both strikers in our squad.

What do you think?

Some food for thought

Liverpool sunday had the second home win of the EPL season, playing Blackburn.

A great game that was one of the best of the season so far, but what happened after the very disapointing Everton game last week?

I have studied the statistics after the game, and here some food for thought:

In the Blackburn game Liverpool played a total of 345 passes, 271 of them were successfull and 72 were intercepted or did not reach the receiver.

Let's look at the Everton game from last week:

In the Everton game Liverpool played a total of 510 passes, with 54 of them being unsuccessful. But even if there were more passes in total and fewer missed passes, Liverpool failed to produce more than 6 shots on target and no goals.

What happened?

The next manager?

With Roy Hodgsons future as Liverpool manager in doubt and an upcoming transfer window with potentially big money to spend, the rumor mill is running overtime.

Right now a potential new manager for Liverpool FC is favoured rumor to report on for many websites. The last few weeks the club has been linked with some names, inkluding Kenny Dalglish and Frank Rijkaard after his job was terminated as Galatasaray manager.

Today another not surprising name pops up again. Former Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill this week has claimed he wants to get back into football “sooner, rather than later”.

Footylatest reports he is heavily tipped to become the new boss at Liverpool.  O’Neill has spent two months out and now feels it is time to return to management.

O’Neill has been heavily linked with Liverpool over numerous seasons and many feel his time as Anfield manager could be just around the corner.

A more surprising name coming out of the hat right now is Atletico Madrid manager Quique Sanchez Flores.

According to Caughtoffside he is being considered as an option by the club who are ready to sack their current manager unless he can reverse the club’s alarming slide down the Premier League table.

The former right back considered by many as the “Next Mourinho” after a very successful start to his managerial career and after two solid seasons as Rafa Benitez’s replacement at Valencia and a decent spell in Portugal with Benfica.

The 45 year old had a great first season at the Vicente Calderon where he led Madrid’s ‘other’ club to a Europa League title.

Some Spanish sources apparently believe that the club’s new owners may prefer to bring in an up and coming boss with real potential as they look to start a new era at a club desperately looking for a change in fortunes.

On the other hand Liverpool, with new owners NESV just settling in, for the moment have no chairman and no CEO to appoint a manager.

What do you think?

Four strikers and a defender?

As the Hicks-Gillett-RBS saga rumbles on, we're approaching the next league game, against Blackburn. A game that might just be crucial for the survival of Roy Hodgson as manager of Liverpool FC.

What do you think, will he survive as manager if Liverpool looses to Blackburn? Give your oppinion in the poll to the right.

As reported earlier, one of this weeks hottest rumors is about the 27 years old russian striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov. Today the story was given a boost as Lucian Spalletti claimed he wouldn’t stand in the way of his striker should he wish to move.

According to The Daily Mail our club have been interested in signing the £6m rated Zenit St Petersburg player in January, as Roy Hodgson looks to bolster the attack.

Spalletti only wants players who are fully committed to the cause and will therefore not stand in the way of the 27-year-old. 

- I think he wants to stay at Zenit. But if a player really wants to leave, I’m not going to stop him. Our team have players who are ready to replace him, in this concrete case it’s Bukharov, the manager told the Daily Mail.

One of this summer's most talked transfer stories was about the french striker Loïc Remy. The saga ended in Marseille, after a summer of interminable flirtation with Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham, Stoke and Liverpool.

But it does'nt seem to stop.

- Remy is dreaming of playing in England, and I am convinced he will be a very good player in England," his agent say, according to The Guardian.

Another player who has also been linked with a move til Liverpool several times before, is out of favour Roma defender Philippe Mexes.

If we are to belive a story on the Transfertavern site Roy Hodgson is ready to make a move for the player.

Much of the focus has been on reinforcing the offensive parts of the Liverpool squad, but the clubs inability to keep clean sheets is probably very much a concern for Hodgson.

If Liverpool are to succeed in bringing the 28 year old defender to England, they will have to compete with both AC Milan and Juventus who are both believed to be monitoring the situation regarding the former Auxerre player, ready to make a move should he become available.

A new face in the Liverpool transfer rumor mill is the israeli striker Itay Shechter. The player is apparently attracting interest from England, with Everton, Newcastle, West Ham AND Liverpool checking out the player, reports The Daily Mail.

The Hapoel Tel Aviv player has improved on last season's performances when he was the country's top scorer with 25 goals as Hapoel won a league and cup double.

The asking price is said to be at around £7m.

The next new face coming up this week is of the french striker Guillaume Hoarau.   

Sport.co.uk reports Hodgson may get into a battle with former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier over the Paris St Germaine player. 

The Aston Villa manager is reportedly interested in the player, that recently signed a contract extension with the Ligue 1 side, having declined a move to Lyon during the summer.

But the 26-year-old’s form has alerted Premier League counterparts Roy Hodgson and Gerard Houllier both of whom have had the player watched on numerous occasions this season.

The Daily Mail suggest Aston Villa could move for the towering centre-forward in January, but the French club are angling for a fee believed to be in the region of £14 million. The Mail suggest Hoarau has been earmarked as a potential replacement for John Carew, who is a free agent at the end of the season.

The next Hyypia?

Liverpools new owners NESV today met with the Liverpool organisation, and John W. Henry warned he will not throw money at the club in a bid to solve their problems.

However, undoubtedly there will be spent some money on new players in january.

Todays hottest prospect in the rumour mill is the Norwegian, towering stopper Brede Hangeland.

Former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp believes the club will launch a raid for the Fulham defender in january, Sport.co.uk reports. He is suggesting the Norwegian is the closest thing to Anfield legend Sami Hyypia.

Hodgson’s close relationship with him could aid his endeavours to land Hangeland; if he in january still is the manager of the club. 

- I’m sure Mark Hughes is bracing himself for a bid from former Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, now he has the Red Sox millions behind him at Anfield, Redknap writes in his Daily Mail column.

Another player being linked with a move to Anfield this fine monday is Wigans Charles N'Zogbia.

Birmingham are being tipped to rekindle their interest in the player, but the Frenchman's form so far this season is said to have alerted the Anfield scouts, Metro.co.uk reports.

N'Zogbia was very close to completing a move to Birmingham i august, but the deal never materialized.

Birmingham is reported to be improving on the Wigan winger's £9million price-tag from the summer, but Liverpool will probably have the funds to compete for his signature.

Todays third rumor is about a tall spaniard. Fernando Llorente is said to have been on the Liverpool radar for some time now.

According to the Liver4Liverpool site Chief Scout Eduardo Macia is keeping tabs on the Atletic Bilbao player, keeping Roy Hodgson and the coaching staff informed of the player.

The spaniard currently has a very impressive record at international level with seven goals in twelve games, and is certainly now challenging Torres for a starting place in the Spanish national side.

Last but not least Liverpool is today being linked with the russian international striker Alexander Kerzhakov.

According to The Daily Mail Liverpool scouts watched the 27-year-old striker score for Russia against Ireland last week which followed on from hat-tricks for his club Zenit St Petersburg against Anderlecht in the Europa League and against Saturn Moscow in the Russian league.

Liverpool would be looking at paying around £6million but the player still has three years left on contract.

Midfielder linked again

With new owners in place Liverpool will very likely look to strenghten the side in January. Now the club is again being linked with a Belgian midfielder.

Roy Hodgson is reportedly looking to beat arch rivals Manchester United to the signing of impressive international midfielder Steven Defour, Transfertavern reports.

Alex Ferguson has earlier, when the player was injured, sent a letter wishing him well. This sparked a frenzy of speculations linking the player to Old Trafford.

But with fresh owners installed at Anfield Liverpool will look to sign a player that many have dubbed the “New Steven Gerrard”. The 22 year old does play in a similar style to the Liverpool captain and does have a great deal of potential that appears to eclipse what he can achieve with his Belgian side. 

United will remain firm favourites to sign him, but with the growing interest from Premier League sides, it will probably be up to the player to choose.

Do you think Defour would give Liverpool the boost the side needs in midfield?

Brazilian striker to Merseyside?

This week Liverpool enters into a new age and will have a fresh start after kicking out Hicks and Gillett. Hopefully Liverpool will, under the new regime of John W. Henry and New England Sports Ventures (NESV), have more resources to compete in the transfer market.

It is going to be an exiting time for every Liverpool supporter in the coming months, with the next transfer window coming up in january!

According to kopsource.com Liverpool has entered into the race of signing out-of-favour Seville striker Luis Fabiano.

The rumour says Hodgson was monitoring the strikers situation closely but knew a move for the 29-year-old would have been impossible under the old regime. But he will probably have more funds to splash out on players comes january.

Fabiano, who recently signed a contract extension until 2013, has opened a bidding war for his services after he declared that he is reassessing his future at Seville:

I don’t know what will happen, but if things remain the same then in January I will seek a solution’, says the player to Goal.com.

Another rumor that has surfaced this week is about Lisandro Lopez. According to The Daily Mail both Liverpool and Tottenham are monitoring his situation in Lyon.

The imscouting site is reporting that Portuguese paper Abola says he could be  a possible successor to Liverpool forward Fernando Torres.

The strikers estimated price is at around £14,5m

I am by the way presented my blog at Bloggurat.

PSV midfielder linked

Despite the last-day events in the seeminly endles take-over-saga, transfer stories keep on coming out of the rumour mill.

The hottest prospect the last few days has been the highly rated PSV attacking midfielder Ibrahim Afellay.

The 24-year-old Dutch international has been firmly established in the PSV first team for nigh-on five years now (after making his debut in 2004 at the tender age of 17) and is apparently ready to try his hand in the Premier League.

According to the Daily Mail the player dreams of playing for Manchester United or Liverpool.

Everton and Arsenal have also been linked, but the 24-year-old attacking midfielder said: 'Playing in the Premier League would be best for my prestige. I'd like to play for Liverpool or Manchester United , the top-level prospect for any player.'

Check out Afellay in this video:

• Read more: Afellay profile (Wikipedia)
• Read more: Afellay profile (Sky sports)

Another rumour is saying that Liverpool may sign Villarreal's 26-year-old Brazil striker Nilmar in the January transfer window for £14m. According to caughtoffside.com the striker is on top of Roy Hodgsons wish list.

The 26 year old former Lyon man has been a huge hit in La Liga and has helped his over achieving Castellon side to second place with his fine performances and prolific goalscoring return. Nilmar is currently top scorer in Spain having scored five goals in six matches and has been a regular in the national team set up.

Another front-man who could be on his way to Anfield is FK Partizan's Cleo.

Liverpool have managed just seven goals thus far this season and only two of those have come from recognised strikers leaving Hodgson looking for alternative attacking options. With the issue of ownership of the club looking a lot clearer and the future looking more hopeful the Merseyside club hopes to have funds to reinvest in the coming transfer window.

The Brazilian is valed at around the £12m mark.

Roma striker linked

The last few days I have been distracted by the LFC-RBS-Hicks-Gillett-NESV-takeover saga.

The rumour mill has also gone fairly quiet. But some stories has come through the media grid.

Roma striker Mirko Vucinic is hoping to impress interested Premier League Clubs with his performance for Montenegro against England. Vucinic has been linked with among others Liverpool according to the Daily Mail.

- I am very happy there is a lot of interest from the Premier League, and I hope to do my best and have a great game, Vucinic told the paper.

Vucinic scored nineteen goals in all competitions last season, and at 27 year of age seems to be looking for a new challenge. 

Liverpool looks to be in the driving seat when it comes to the highly-rated left-back Reto Ziegler.

A story by Metro.co.uk says a number of clubs are hunting the 24 years old Sampdoria player, including European giants Juventus and Zenit St Petersburg.

The guess is however that Roy Hodgson is confident of persuading Ziegler to return to England three seasons after quitting Spurs for a move to Italy.

The Swiss international defender has shown his versatility for both club and country by playing in a more advanced role on the left of midfield, meaning he could play in tandem with Konchesky.

Liverpool in for Valencia winger?

The Daily Mirror reports that Liverpool scouts are tracking Valencia forward Juan Manuel Mata in the hope of making a bid for the schemer in January.

Although Joe Cole signed on a free transfer during the summer, Hodgson’s Liverpool have still often looked blunt in attack, devoid of the creativity necessary to break down the massed ranks of Premier League defences.

Mata is thought to be the solution to such problems. The deal, the Mirror reports, is subject to the takeover being completed.

Metro.co.uk reports that Hodgson is planning to use out-of-sorts Ryan Babel as a bargaining chip. He hopes that landing Mata would be a good way to bolster his squad and placate the fans.

Reports on Spanish radio says Hodgson is preparing to table a £10m bid for the 22-year-old, using Babel as a make-weight.

According to imscouting.com papers claims that Liverpool have been “exerting strong pressure” on the La Liga leaders over the player.

Mata, who plays primarily as a left winger is highly regarded in Spain and was a member of the squad that won the World Cup in South Africa during the summer.

He has scored three goals in nine appearances for the Spanish national team, while he has been a prolific scorer from midfield for Valencia in La Liga in the last three seasons.

Mata, who began his career as a trainee at Real Madrid, would cost the Reds around £12 million.

Read more: Juan Mata player profile (The Mirror)
Read more: Player profile (Goal.com)

Liverpool linked with Real Madrid star

The word is that Real Madrid star Kakas future might not be in Santiago Bernabé. 

Reports say that the most obvious choise would be to go to Inter Milan.

BUT:Kaka is set to be offered a January move to England after failing to live up to  expectations at Real Madrid.

 Liverpool have also been mooted as a potential suitor by sources in Italy, with Kaka tipped as the kind of signing that would be a coup for the new Anfield owners, writes The Daily Mail.

Kaka is recovering from a knee injury which will keep him out for most of the rest of the year, but the indications in Spain are that he has already fallen out of boss Jose Mourinho’s plans.

Mesut Ozil was brought in from Werder Bremen in the summer to occupy the same position and has already impressed.