Italian striker on free transfer?

Liverpool have accepted that unsettled defender Glen Johnson wants to leave Anfield, According to The Daily Mail

There may also be a swap deal where Liverpool gets Brazilian-born Italy marksman Amauri and cash for Johnson.

Another Italian striker may however come to Anfield on a free transfer...

Liverpool striker target Antonio Cassano could become a free agent as soon as Monday, GiveMeFootball reports.

The controversial Sampdoria forward is set to leave the Stadio Luigi Ferraris after a major fallout with the club's president, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is thought to be one of the parties interested in signing the player.

A decision over the player's future could not be reached in a court of arbitration last week, and the second hearing is schedule for Monday in Italy. If the club wins, it will see the player's contract terminated immediately, making him a free agent.

There is no shortage of interest in the Italian international in the Premier League or abroad, with Manchester City, Spurs, Juventus and Inter Milan all thought to be challenging Liverpool for the signature.

The Reds boss has money to spend following the arrival of NESV as the new Liverpool owners, but the opportunity to land Cassano on a free would be too good to turn down for the Merseyside outfit.
Liverpool defender target Philippe Mexes appears set to leave Roma, Talksport reports.

The French international centre back has reportedly rejected a new contract offer from the Serie 'A' outfit, opening the door to either a cut-price move in January or free transfer in the summer.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson is thought to be one of the Premier League managers thought to be interested in the player, with Arsenal and Chelsea the competitors to Liverpool in the race to sign the player.

TalkSPORT report that the player's agent is in advanced talks with Premier League clubs, with reports in Italy backing up the claims by stating Mexes will leave the Stadio Olimpico at the end of the season. Liverpool are thought to be one of the clubs in contact.

The player has been valued in the region of £2 million due to the length of time left on his contract, although Liverpool could look to negotiate a pre-contract agreement that would see the player come to Merseyside for free at the end of the season.

And finaly today, a new name:

FC Porto’s leading striker, Falcao, is being tracked by Liverpool in a bid to boost their striking options, according to Footballtransfertavern.

It looks to be an initial 4-month loan deal valued at £1.5m, with the option to buy the player for £14m.

Columbian sensation Falcao is 24-years old and has hit an incredible 51 goals in 63 appearances for FC Porto. He finished last season as the league’s top scorer and he has proved he is a natural born goal-scorer, something David N’Gog and Dirk Kuyt clearly are not.

He will provide the assistance Fernando Torres needs if Hodgson decides on a 4-4-2 formation and he will be a great back-up player at least, should the Spaniard get injured…..again.

Defenders and forwards on the radar

Following Jamie Carraghers dislocated shoulder a few defenders are being linked with Liverpool for the January transfer window.

Liverpool are being backed to make a move for Bolton defender Gary Cahill in January, according to The Guardian.

The 24-year-old England international - who has been consistently linked with a move away from the Reebok in recent weeks - with a view to making a bid in the New Year.

Arsenal had originally been expected to do battle with Manchester United for the services of Cahill, who is thought to have caught the eye of both Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and United supremo Sir Alex Ferguson with a string of imperious displays for the Trotters.

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But Liverpool are now apparently the frontrunners for his signature as Roy Hodgson looks to bolster his defence following the long-term layoff of Anfield hero Jamie Carragher.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Arsenal will launch a £10 million bid for the Liverpool and Manchester United target, but Bolton manager Owen Coyle has slapped a £25 million price-tag on his prized asset.

An earlier linked defender is Lille's Adil Rami.

He is seen as the ideal candidate to replace the aforementioned club legend, according to Goal.com.

Valued at £12 million, the report claims Hodgson is ready to match the Ligue 1 side’s valuation of  a player the Liverpool manager has been tracking even prior to Carragher’s injury.

Rami impressed during France’s recent friendly against England at Wembley and has in the past attracted interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.

The 24-year-old of Moroccan descent has thrived in the new France setup engineered by the impressive Laurent Blanc, and having made his debut in August of this year, the former Frejus youngster is something of a mainstay in the former Manchester United defender’s squads this season.

A forward that has been heavily linked with Liverpool the last few weeks is out of favour Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano.

Now Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has ruled his side out of the race to sign Sampdoria outcast Antonio Cassano calling it ‘fantasy football’, GiveMeFootball reports.

Cassano has recently had a falling out with Sampdoria and, despite apologising to their president several times, looks set to be released.

The Genovese side are currently trying to annul Cassano’s contract, after the striker refused to attend an awards ceremony with his team mates and then verbally abused president Riccardo Garrone, and are set to find out the outcome on December 3.

That means the 28-year-old could be available on a free transfer, with Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City and Fiorentina all mooted as potential suitors.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is currently compiling a shortlist of January transfer targets and, if Cassano’s contract is terminated, he would be a fantastic coup for the Anfield club.

Another striker that has come back on the transfer radar is the towering Norwegian John Carew.

The Norway international has had a poor relationship with Villa Park boss Gerard Houllier since his days at Lyon, and a recent spat between the two in back and forth media interviews has not aided their relationship.

Carew’s future at Villa Park now looks bleak, and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, the player will be free to talk to clubs from January.

According to Caughtoffside The 6’5″ Norwegian’s agent Per Arne Flod said:

- Every day I receive calls from clubs all over Europe interested in Carew but there are no concrete offers on the table.

In January there is not likely to be a shortage of offers, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is believed to want Carew as a plan B for the club should Fernando Torres be injured, and as an impact player from the bench.

Yesterday Liverpool again was linked with West Ham forward Carlton Cole. But now it seems the Hammers har re-thinking theire options.

Cole impressed as the Hammers won for the second game in succession - a 4-0 demolition of Manchester United in the Carling Cup - and netted twice.

And now the club's bosses are thinking twice about whether to cash in on the England international, who was expected to bring in up to £8million in revenue for the cash-strapped east Londoners, Metro reports.

Their quest to get off the bottom of the table - and then to avoid relegation by the end of the season - is likely to hinge on their firepower.

Cole has been a target for former Fulham manager Roy Hodgson for a few years, and he is now keen to take him to new club Liverpool as an able deputy for star man Fernando Torres.

Two strikers on the radar

Today has been a slow day for transfer rumours involving Liverpool FC. However it has not been absolutely quiet on the radar...

Yesterday The Daily Mail linked Liverpool with an exchange deal, sendig Dirk Kuyt to Roma with Philippe Mexes in return.

Now it has emerged that Liverpool are keen to keep Kuyt at Anfield and are poised to make a £20m offer for Mirko Vucinic, also being mentioned in the Mail article.

According to TalkSport Liverpool are set to step up their interest in the Roma striker and hope to finalise a deal to bring him to Anfield in January.

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Vucinic (27) has a proven track record in Serie A and is regarded as one of the best forwards in Europe.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is desperate to find a proven partner for Fernando Torres and Vucinic could be just the right man to help Liverpool challenge for major silverware again.

In addition Liverpool is also linked with Sampdoria forward Antonio Cassano.

Liverpool are the latest in a long list of clubs seeking the services of fallen Sampdoria ace, Goal.com reports.

The Italian playmaker faces a rescissionary hearing with the Lega Serie A's arbitration panel who will decided whether Sampdoria have legal grounds to terminate his contract after his feud with club president Riccardo Garrone.

28-year-old Cassano has been linked with Genoa, Inter and Juventus, but Tuttomercatoweb.com reports that Liverpool are pushing themselves into the que.

According to reports, Reds manager Roy Hodgson is looking for a top-level partner for Fernando Torres and Cassano fits the bill.

However, reports earlier this week prefigured Cassano had signed an agreement with Inter, his long time admirers.

City winger linked

Conflicting reports keeps on coming on what kind of transfer budget Roy Hodgson will be given for the January window.

On one hand there is The Daily Mail reporting that Hodgson must develop young players rather than splashing the cash on new faces. Other sources on the other hand says he will be given anything between £25m and £40m to update the Liverpool squad.

Anyway, with former Everton defender Alan Harper in a key role in the club's scouting department Liverpool is at the moment keeping a watchful eye over several players from both home and abroad.

Today The Daily Mirror is reporting that Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is a January Hodgson target.

The manager is said to be tracking the 29 year old and he could be available for £5m, according to the paper.

Wright-Phillips is available as he is in the last year of his contract and will be allowed to leave in January if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

Contract talks are said to have stalled with the England international as Wright-Phillips is not prepared to stay as a reserve as manager Roberto Mancini has dropped him to a bench since his arrival last year.

The Mirror believes that Wright-Phillips figures highly on the list of Roy Hodgson’s transfer targets and the City winger is prepared to leave Eastlands for the second time in search of first team football. 

A new name on the Liverpool transfer mary-go-round is Italian forward Antonio Cassano.

The former Roma forward appeared to have finally got his career back on track at Sampdoria before insulting president Ricardo Garrone in what was termed "gravely offensive and disrespectful behaviour", Sportsvibe reports.

Cassano was immediately suspended with rumours persisting that the Italian forward will have his contract terminated and could become a free agent. That has alerted a number of managers with Hodgson in particular keen to bring in reinforcements.

Liverpool do not have the resources to spend millions in the transfer window, the site claims, and Cassano could be a cheap and talented alternative.

A name tha re-appears is Oscar Cordozo.

The Benfica striker is a major target for Liverpool and the club are preparing a January move for the Paraguay international, according to Ultima Hora, TribalFootball reports.
 
Cardozo has shone since arriving in Lisbon from Newell's Old Boys three years ago, and has scored 81 goals in 135 games for the Aguias.

The centre-forward's physical frame would apparently make him a good foil for Reds ace Fernando Torres.