The French and Spanish connections

The day after owner John W. Henry says he wants more squad depth, and the day before Liverpool is facing this Premier League seasons biggest test so far, Damien Comolli is hoping to make an early impact.

The Daily Mail today reports that Liverpool wants to sign midfield prospect Dimitri Payet from under the noses of three other bidders.

Anfield's newly-appointed director of football strategy believes his St Etienne connections could give him a decisive edge over Napoli, Inter Milan and Aston Villa in the £7million battle to sign 23-year old Payet who was watched by Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson in September.

Payet is an attacking midfielder or winger and on the verge of breaking into the senior France side after catching Laurent Blanc's eye with seven goals in as many games this season. 

It has also put him in the frame for a January move to England or Italy, with Comolli, the former director of football at Tottenham and credited with unearthing some top youngsters, poised to win the race.

Partizan Belgrade star Cleo reportedly is linked with a move to Liverpool.

But according to Sky Sports the player admits he is in the dark about reports linking him with a move to Liverpool.

Reports have suggested the Reds are considering a move for the Brazilian striker as they bolster their attacking options in the January transfer window.

However, Cleo, who has scored against Arsenal in this season's Champions League, is not reading too much into the speculation.

- Liverpool? I heard something about this story... Well, I actually read about it on the internet. But nobody has talked with me about this. But of course in football you never know what tomorrow will bring to you, Cleo says Sky Sports reports.

Another exciting rumour that turns up is that Valencias Juan Mata is on top of Roy Hodgsons shopping list for January.

The Liverpool boss has already stated his intentions to sign 5 or 6 players and has the backing of the club’s new owners as he seeks to reverse the poor start to the season.

Mata left Real Madrid to join Valencia in March 2007 and initially found it hard to secure a regular first team spot but in the absence of the club’s two big name Spanish internationals he has hit a run of good form this season which has led many clubs to consider a move for the pint sized attacker.

Hodgson hopes to persuade Mata to join his national team colleagues Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina at Anfield and knows that he will have to dig deep to secure the £17m rated international, Caughtoffside writes.

The Liverpool manager is looking to add more creativity to his attacking third after finding goals hard to come by this season.

Juan Mata can play in a number of positions from an out and out striker to his more preferred position out wide on the left wing where he could help provide ammunition for the Merseyside club.

Another old rumour that resurface is about Lassana Diarra.

He is reportedly closer to a Real Madrid exit after appearing to be frozen out at the Bernabeu.

The French international's last action for Los Blancos came as a substitute against AC Milan a fortnight ago, and Diarra was left out of the squad completely for the return fixture in the Champions League on Wednesday, GiveMeFootball reports.

His brief cameo appearance suggests the player has fallen further down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is reportedly preparing to swoop for the player.

A player with Premier League experience after time with Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth, Real Madrid signed the player in 2009 for a fee in the region of £20m.

After just over a year, the asking price is now thought to be half with the La Liga side looking to sell after more 'mega-deals' this summer.