Eight potential summer signings?

While Kenny Dalglish is turning the ship on the pitch for Liverpool, there is continious speculations to which players that will be brought in to Anfield this summer.

Liverpool's principal owner John Henry is focused on ending Liverpool FC's league title drought.

He admits Kenny Dalglish's transformation of their on-field fortunes is exactly what he hoped for when he chose to appoint the Scot as manager, GiveMefootball reports.

The future will tell us whether he will become the permanent one.

But even though Liverpool have signed two strikers in January, they are still believed to be interested in Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku, the Bleacher Report claims.

Liverpool are facing competition from Chelsea in the signing, another team who seem to have no dearth of strikers with Drogba, Anelka and Torres already in the squad and Sturridge on loan to Bolton. 

Further on they also claim Mateo Musacchio has emerged as the top target for the center back position. The young Argentine has become a regular starter at Villareal after moving to the team from River Plate in 2009.

He has caught the fancy of a lot of top clubs across Europe with a string of fine performances. With his long-term contract at Villareal, the club officially says that the player is not for sale. Comolli and Liverpool, though, believe that they could land the promising youngster for €4m.

If the deal for Musacchio does fall through, Liverpool are believed to be lining up hotly tipped January target Davide Santon, who is currently on loan at Cesena from Inter Milan.

With the need for replacing Carragher becoming more and more important as time passes, the signing of a center back would be a priority and either Musacchio or Santon would fit the billing.

The other targets mentioned in the Bleacher Report article is Eden Hazard, Fabio Coentrao, of course Charlie Adam and Ashley Young.

Young is today being mentioned in other reports too, like GiveMeFootball who say News of the World claims Liverpool will battle Manchester United and Manchester City at the end of the season in a race to land the player, with a €15 million valuation placed on his head.

25-year-old Young has made 11 appearances for England thus far, and has become a regular in the Three Lions squad under Fabio Capello.

The England international winger was heavily linked with an Anfield switch in the summer, although Liverpool never made an official approach for the player.

Aston Villa managed to keep hold of their prized asset, but Young only has 18 months left on his contract at Villa Park and after rejecting the club's latest offer appears unlikely to sign a new deal.

Liverpool have identified teenage playmaker Christian Eriksen as a potential summer signing after being impressed with the Ajax midfielders strong performances in Holland. 

Damien Comolli, director of football at Liverpool, spent close to a week in Amsterdam as he negotiated a deal for Uruguayan forward Suarez and was said to be impressed with Eriksen.

The Danish international is still just 18-years-of-age but has impressed with a number of mature performances for Ajax and has been tipped as a potential star of the future, Sportsvibe reports.


Liverpool seem to have adopted a new transfer policy under owners Fenways Sports Group as they attempt to identify young, talented players with big futures ahead of them.

Eriksen certainly fits the current model as Liverpool believe the midfielder, who has been compared with Dennis Bergkamp, has a bright future and may be available for around £10m.

Finaly, another new name appears on the radar, with Liverpool being linked with a move for young Valencia forward Paco Alcacer in the local Spanish press.

Valencia newspaper Superdeporte claims that the Reds have sent scouts to watch a number of Alcacer’s games, and though Real Madrid and Barcelona are also interested, a bid from Liverpool appears most likely.

One of the greatest legacies of the Rafa Benitez reign as Liverpool manager is his overhaul of the club’s academy.

The 17 year-old Alcacer made his first team debut for Valencia earlier this season, and has scored 15 goals in 13 games for Spain’s U17 side.

He now has 2 in 2 for the U18s, and could become part of the revolution on Merseyside, joining fellow Spaniards Suso, Dani Pacheco, Dani Ayala and Emmanuel Mendy.

However, his contract expires in 2013, and Liverpool are highly unlikely to pay his €10m release clause.

Liverpool still in Suarez negotiations?

It looks as if Liverpool this transfer window have to let go of three offensive players:

Nathan Eccleston who now is on loan at Charlton Athletic, David Amoo who has joined MK Dons on loan and Ryan Babel who has ended up in Hoffenheim, sold for about £6m.

If Milan Jovanovic also disappears from Anfield during the month, Liverpool may end up with a strike force who consists of just Fernando Torres, David N’gog and Spanish youngster Dani Pacheco, with the option of using Dirk Kuyt up top if needed.

And, speaking of Jovanovic...

According to Goal.com German side Wolfsburg are believed to have put forward an offer of €7 million to acquire his services.

The 29-year-old put in impressive performances for Standard Liege and moved to Merseyside on a free transfer, but has since been unable to replicate his form for the Reds.

The former Lokomotiv Moscow man has in the past expressed a desire to trudge on and fight for a regular spot in the club's starting line-up, but his agent has admitted that he could be on his way out.

In desember he pledged his future to Liverpool and promised to stay and fight for a place in the Liverpool team.

Anyway, it seems inevitable Liverpool is going to need strengthening the Anfield striking force. It is going to be a test of the ambitions John W. Henry and NESV.

However, Ajax seems to stand firm over the Luis Suarez situation.

It has gone very quiet, but rumours surfacing on the net today is saying the striker might hand in a transfer request, that Damien Comolli still is in Amsterdam, and that negotiations are still ongoing.

Some has even suggested that Dirk Kuyt might be wanted to go the other way, back to Holland and Ajax.

Also De Telegraaf today say Liverpool has not given up the transfer, still having hopes for a deal to be struck.

A transfer that might go through in the summer is for Lille attacker Gervinho.

Now it has emerged that the €14 million-rated forward has attracted the interest of Liverpool – along with Lille teammate Eden Hazard – but any move will be postponed until the summer in order not to disrupt the French club.

Speaking on French television show Les Specialistes, Liverpool director of football strategy Damien Comolli said: - We want a forward because we lack pace and penetration on the flanks, he said GiveMeFootball report.

- Gervinho and Hazard are super players but I know the Lille board well and they won't sell in January.

However, Liverpool are still reportedly amongst the frontrunners for Gervinho when he becomes available, although he has stated his intention to remain with Lille for the short-term at least.

Elsewhere, it looks like Liverpool January target Mark van Bommel has left Bayern Munich to join AC Milan.

The 33-year-old had been linked with a move to Liverpool but has opted to move to Italy and sign for the Serie A giants, Talksport report.

Bayern agreed to terminate van Bommel’s contract six months early to allow the tough-tackling midfielder to make the move.

Luis Suarez 'wants move to Liverpool'

Despite the fact that Liverpool seem to find stability under Kenny Dalglish, the club is constantly being linked with new managers for the summer. The latest one for the rumour mill is former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranier, who has welcomed the reports.

But now on to something much more exciting ...

The latest reports on the rumour, that exploded last night, is that Liverpool are closing in on Ajax striker Luis Suarez.

De Telegraaf says Suarez is leaving Ajax, with Liverpool clear favourites to land the Uruguay international, saying a transfer to Liverpool would be a dream for the striker.

Liverpool contacted Ajax on Saturday evening to discuss a possible transfer and negotiations continued on Sunday. Tottenham are also after the services of Suarez, but the tricky attacker prefers a move to Anfield because of the presence of several Spanish speaking players at Liverpool.

And according to the official Twitter account for the South African Liverpool F.C. Supporters Website Dutch radio reported 'Suarez done deal (according to some forumites in Holland)'. Adding the interesting fact that '#luissuarez was @RyanBabel's replacement at Ajax when RyBabz left'

Jen Chang, Senior Editor for soccer at Sports Illustrated tonight tweeted 'Dutch media confirming today that Luis Suarez wants move to Liverpool in this window and direct talks took place between Ajax/LFC on Sunday'.

Football writer Ernst Bouwes earlier in the evening tweeted 'Liverpool has made an official bid for Luis Suarez. No mention of the price.'

According to The Daily Mail a bid of around £15m could be enough needed to reach a compromise.

The paper also claims Charlie Adam and Eden Hazard are on Liverpool's transfer agenda before the window closes.

A new name on the radar is Arsenal transfer target Balazs Dzsudzsak.

Arsene Wenger has announced that he will not be bringing any strikers to the Emirates this month, but The People reports that Arsenal and Liverpool are both chasing the Hungarian winger who is currently playing for PSV Eindhoven in Holland.

Kenny Dalglish will definitely be reinforcing the Liverpool squad this month and there is every possibility that Dzsudzsak could arrive at Anfield to add some much-needed width to the Reds attack.

Dzsudzsak has been linked to Liverpool many times in the past while Rafael Benitez was manager, and if anything the tricky Hungarian international has improved even further. This season he has already scored 10 goals for PSV and made 5 assists as he has come to the attention of many top sides, but the Mail thinks that the Dutch giants would be willing to sell the 24 year-old to Liverpool or Arsenal for the attractive sum of just £10m.

Again Liverpool are linked with a January move for Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing.

The England international left winger has been in fine form for the Midlands outfit despite their Barclays Premier League struggles, and new Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish appears to have made his first transfer move, according to SkySports.

Speculation began to service with regards to the interest of Liverpool yesterday, with the Sunday Express claiming that the Reds were preparing a £10 million offer.

Sunderland are also reported to have made an enquiry in the current transfer window, although former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is thought to have fended off the interest from the north East. He stated last month he was keen to keep Downing at the club.

French winger in January?

Roy Hodgson today said he hopes for January transfers.

- I can only hope we get some of the injured players back and I can also hope if there is any possibility of transfers in the January window that will help us and make us a better team that I’ll be given the opportunity to take those players, he said Talksport reports.

A 24 years old Frenchman could become Hodgsons first signing in January....

One of the names mentioned most often this fall on the Liverpool transfer rumour mill is that of  Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia.

According to the Daily Express, Liverpool have held talks over the potential signing of Charles N'Zogbia. The club is ready to table an offer of around £7 million after scouts were dispatched to watch the Wigan winger at close quarters.

It's not the first time Liverpool representatives have been to watch the 24-year-old Frenchman, with three Anfield scouts - including chief talent-spotter Eduardo Macia - allegedly deployed to monitor N'Zogbia during Wigan's Carling Cup victory against Swansea in October.

And, according to Click Lancashire, Roy Hodgson was at the DW Stadium earlier this month and was wowed by N'Zogbia's man-of-the-match performance in the 2-2 draw with Stoke.

N'Zogbia is understood to have been identified as a high-priority target by Liverpool in their pursuit of attacking reinforcements when the transfer window opens next month.

Belgium starlet Eden Hazard has talked up the prospect of a move to Liverpool or Arsenal in the summer after apparently rejecting a move to Chelsea.

Lille winger Hazard, 19, is rated among the most promising talents in Europe and has for some time been talking up the prospect of a move to Real Madrid or Arsenal.

Zinedine Zidane has recommended the player to Madrid, but Hazard has now said he believes his first-team opportunities would be restricted at the Bernabeu and that he would prefer to continue his development at a club like Arsenal.

- I could have gone [to Chelsea] last June, but I was not ready to make that big leap, he said Soccernet reports.

- Recently, the press have been writing about interest from Liverpool, and it is nice to hear your name being mentioned everywhere, especially with the best teams in the world.

- If I do leave at the end of the season, I don't want to go somewhere I will be on the bench, and it will be difficult to break through in a team like Real, where Ronaldo and Kaka will be my competitors. But there are teams like Arsenal, where youngsters can grow more easily into the first team and make their mark.

- I will not leave for another French club because, with 100 matches under my belt for Lille, I don't think I have to prove my qualities for a team in the same league.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson saw Hazard in action during a recent scouting trip in France.

Sport.co.uk can exclusively reveal that there will not be any transfer for Belgian international Steven Defour.

The Belgian international and Standard Liege midfielder is being followed closely by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, while Liverpool are also monitoring the player's progress.

Speaking exclusively to Sport.co.uk, the player’s chief representative Paul Stefani said the 22-year-old would remain at current club Standard Liege for the remainder of the season to recover from injury.

- He’s injured at the moment. He’s out for three months, he said.

Defour has been relentlessly linked with Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson a known admirer.

Asked if there was any chance that a move could be agreed, Stefani promptly rebuffed the rumours.

- No, no it’s impossible. A January move is impossible.

The player’s representative had previously told Sport.co.uk that as many as seven clubs were interested in Defour.

- Yes, it is true he is being watched. He is being monitored by seven clubs at the moment from England, France, Spain and Italy.

Stefani was then asked if a January move was in the pipe line. He replied:

- We don’t know. It depends on the club and whether or not there is a big move in the January window that could see other people move.

- I have received positive phone calls from clubs in the UK, who have said they can do things, so we will wait and see.

However, another injury set-back means a January move is out of the question.

Comolli's £80m wish list

With Gerard Houllier coming to Anfield monday talent-spotter Damien Comolli seems to have a desire to re-start the Liverpool French revolution.

On top of his wish list for January there are four Frenchmen.

Comolli, the new director of football strategy charged with helping boss Roy Hodgson ­recruit new stars, has been assembling a hit-list of transfer targets for the January window and next summer – with four Frenchmen on the radar.

Related reading: Liverpool pondering big moves? 
Related: Transfer targets video compilation

And heading the wish list of French stars are four of Laurent Blanc’s side who outplayed England in their 2-1 friendly win at Wembley last month.

Yann M’Vila, Rennes’ 20-year-old midfielder, Marseilles striker Loic Remy – 24 next month – Lille centre-back Adil Rami, 25 later this month, and St Etienne attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet, 23, have all been identified by Comolli as viable targets, The People reports.

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And with Lille’s exciting ­£20million Belgian winger Eden Hazard plus Borussia Dortmund’s £15m-rated Serbian central ­defender Neven Subotic also a priority, all of Comolli’s targets would cost a staggering £80m.

That would be an immediate test of Kop owner John Henry’s commitment to Anfield’s future. Comolli has been told by ­Henry to nab players in their early 20s as Liverpool build for a ­brighter ­future.

But he’ll have his work cut out to land them all – especially Hazard, who is being tracked by Real Madrid.

Boss Hodgson has been told he must offload some players to raise additional transfer funds and England defender Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Ryan Babel and Fabio Aurelio will all be made available, the paper reports.

Liverpool pondering big moves?

The possibility of any big signings coming in the Anfield door in january this fall has been ruled out by Liverpool. But new statements from Director of football strategy Damien Comolli looks to put those earlier assumptions in a new light.

- My feeling about it is that in this economic recession there are so many clubs that are in trouble abroad, more than England. These clubs are under enormous pressure to sell. So this January window could be a very different window from what we have seen previously, Comolli told The Telegraph.

- Players that we would never have thought would be available could be. So that’s why we are working away, thinking that if there is the right opportunity we should do it. Strange things could happen, he said.

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The same paper also speculates in one really big name signing in January.

The maxim that no big transfer deals are conducted in the January window may be about to be tested by Real Madrid’s apparent resolve to move Kaká on at the next available opportunity.

While both Milan clubs have been linked with a bid for the Brazilian, do not rule out Premier League interest. In that regard Chelsea, with Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, would appear to hold the whip hand should they decide to meet the financial demands, the paper writes.

Another name - not that big though, is former Everton player Joleon Lescott.

He has admitted he will look to leave Manchester City if he cannot earn more regular playing time as he believes he will soon lose his England place.

The £24m signing from Everton has been behind both Vincent Kompany and Kolo Toure in the City pecking order, and has often been deployed as a left-back when he has played.

- I’m not happy with the situation. I don’t enjoy sitting on the bench, and sometimes not even making the bench,” he told the Press Association.

This has according to Caughtoffside alerted Liverpool.

An old rumour that wont go away is the one concerning Eden Hazard.

Today The Daily Star Sunday says Liverpool may try to buy the Lille star in January.

They say the Belgian international winger, who plays for Lille, is such an exciting prospect that he has been called Europe’s answer to Argentina’s Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

Not surprisingly, Liverpool face fierce competition for Hazard, 19, with Real Madrid particularly keen on a young talent valued already at £18m.

Manager Roy Hodgson confirmed Liverpool are looking at the January transfer window by saying:

- We are very much a work in progress on the scouting front. We are all watching players and coming up with ideas.

- January tends to be a window where you are trying to put something right, which you didn’t expect to go wrong.

- Everyone is going to want to add one or two new faces and change one or two things around.

- Fans like to have someone new to latch on to.

- But you have to be very circumspect because if you are not careful you bring in people who won’t serve a purpose.

- Bringing in someone who doesn’t do that is worse than bringing in no one.

One rumour that today is being dismissed is that of West Ham United striker Carlton Cole.

He admits he was unsettled by Liverpool's interest in the summer. Liverpool were believed to have made two bids for Cole with £9m thought to be their final offer.

- The Liverpool talk and all the other rumours did affect me as a player because you never know where your future lies and it isn’t always in your hands, he said according to Tribalfootball, then ruling out a transfer in January.

- I’ve signed a deal now at the club that keeps me here until 2013 and that is my future.

A few days back it was reported that Liverpool's Scandinavian scout Jakob Friis-Hansen has been taking a close look at Oscar Wendt.

Now German daily Bild reports that Tottenham are also in the race for his signature, alongside Werder Bremen and Italian side Siena, Imscouting reports.

Wendt is not only strong at the back but also excellent going forward and is dangerous from crosses. He would provide competition at Tottenham for Benoit Assou-Ekotto , who has been in good form for Harry Redknapp's side.

Liverpool want "new Adebayor"?

After the sad loss to Tottenham this weekend Paul Konchesky holds his hand up and takes the blame.

Sevilla are set to make a move for Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva, who is showing improving form in the Liverpool shirt, in the January transfer window according to reports in Spain, The Daily Mail reports.

A new face on the radar is the Ivorian striker Lacina Traore. The player is according to GiveMeFootball a Liverpool target, and is set to leave current club FC Cluj in January.

The Ivorian striker, called the "New Adebayor" has been linked with a string of European clubs, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is thought to be the latest manager to join the hunt for the player.

New Director of Football strategy at Anfield, Damien Comolli, is thought to be a big fan of the player, and has sent scouts to watch Feroviarii striker in a Romanian Liga I match.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is a known admirer of the player, while Aston Villa, Fulham and Bayern Munich are also thought to be monitoring the situation. Liverpool and the rest will be encouraged by the latest comments from the player's agent, Thomas Boehm.

- It is true that there are a number of teams watching Lacina (Traore) and maybe in a couple of weeks we will have some information, but at the moment I cannot say anything regarding specific clubs, Boehm told Sport.co.uk.

- The situation is he is playing well in the Champions League and our goal is to get him playing in a superior league. That is a fact. But I cannot reveal any information on specific clubs at this point.

Another new name for Liverpool supporters to look out for is Brazilian striker Kleber. Liverpool are reportedly after the player in the pursuit of a new striker.

According to the Daily Mail, the Reds are set to re-enter the race for the Palmeiras hotshot - who is also wanted by Everton - after previously showing an interest in his signature during Rafa Benitez's tenure.

- I have a proposal from Liverpool for 7 million euros. We are analysing [it], Kleber said at the time.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has made no secret of his desire to add more potency to his Anfield attack after admitting that Liverpool rely too heavily on Kop hero Fernando Torres.

And it would appear Hodgson has identified £6 million-rated Kleber as a potential target to take the goalscoring burden away from Liverpool star Torres.

The former Brazil under 20 star has an eye-catching scoring record; notching an impressive 28 times in 77 appearances during a spell with Dynamo Kiev, while he has 13 goals in 18 games for his current employers.

A player that has not been linked with Liverpool for a while is former Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz.

Now Liverpool are once again being link with a move for Paraguayan international striker, GiveMeFootball reports.

The Manchester City forward is set to leave Eastlands in the summer, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is thought to be a potential suitor for the player.

Santa Cruz has fallen out-of-favour at his current club, struggling to break into the side since the arrival of Roberto Mancini as replacement for former boss Mark Hughes.

Mancini has admitted that he would be willing to let the player leave in the opening month of 2011, and the player confirmed that he'd consider moving on in a bid to play first team football.

Liverpool have twice been linked with the player in the past, first in April 2009 and then again last summer when the Metro claimed that the Reds were considering a double offer for Santa Cruz and Wayne Bridge.

One of the hottest prospects of the Liverpool transfer radar this fall has been the Lille winger Eden Hazard.

But it seems that in addition to Manchester United, Real Madrid is interested. Real’s new advisor and general legend Zinedine Zidane has expressed his interest in seeing Hazard playing at the Bernabeu, GiveMeFootball reports.

The former French international, who now advises president Florentino Perez, believes it is possible the Belgian ace could be a Madrid player soon, despite Premier League teams Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal also being interested.

- What he has been doing for his club has been extraordinary," Zidane told Canal +.

- Would it be possible to see him one day in Madrid? It may be.

Earlier this week Hazard revealed he would not leave the Ligue 1 leaders in january, despite being heavily linked with a move to Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson recently flew to France to watch his team mate Gervinho in action but came away from the game, between Lille and Monaco, raving about the 19-year-old instead.

Hazard interest confirmed

Today Liverpool FC have announced plans to launch International Football Academies across the world.

But even if Liverpool wants to develop new talent in the long term the transfer rumour mill of potential purchases in January still is running hot.

Lately Eden Hazard has been appearing on the Liverpool transfer radar a lot of times. Also, before Liverpool's new owners, and Damien Comolli came in, his name constantly came up.  

The strategy of buying young promising players to the offensive midfielder fit nicely into, as he is only 19 years old, but already an established U17 international for Belgium.
 
Liverpool Echo claims that Hazard is a Liverpool transfer target. Roy Hodgson and scout Laurent Viaud had their eyes on the player, when he helped send Lillle to the top of Ligue 1 on Sunday.  
 
Hazard would have a price tag of £18m, but the reds will according to the Echo have hopes of his signature promising first team action.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has been put on alert after Joan Capdevila reached contract stalemate with Villarreal, The Daily Mirror reports.

The paper remarks that the Spain international is looking for a two-year contract extension, but the Primera Division outfit are hesitant to hand the 32-year-old a deal that lasts over 12 months.

Capdevila's contract expires next summer, and with the Yellow Submarines seemingly unwilling to meet his demands, it is thought that the World Cup winner could be in line to make a Bosman transfer to the Premier League.

Ther former Atletico Madrid and Deportivo full-back, who has missed just five matches in four years from the Madrigal club, is allegedly close friends with the Reds' goalkeeper and international colleague Pepe Reina, and it has been suggested that the defender could be tempted by an offer to head to Anfield for free.

Capdevila was also linked with a move to Serie A giants Juventus during the summer window, but opeted to remain in La Liga.

Karim Benzema reportedly wants out of Real Madrird and Jamie Redknapp is urging Anfield owners to purchase the 22-year-old Frenchman.

Benzema wowed the English crowd last week when he scored for France against England at Wembley last week. Such a performance has prompted Redknapp to urge the Reds to go after the young striker.

- Liverpool need a striker and they should look no further than Karim Benzema, the former Liverpool midfielder wrote in the Daily Mail.

- He played this game like it was his personal audition. He's started only one league game for Real Madrid this season and we could all see last night that he is better than that. Benzema enjoyed his night and put on a bit of a show.

- The new Anfield owners have their first challenge: sign him, he added.

Benzema joined Real for around €30m, but could reportedly be available to Liverpool at closer to €12m.

Elsewhere, Liverpool look set to make an offer for Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross after Tony Pulis declared his interest in Mauricio Victorino, according to the Metro.

The Uruguayan international is keen on a move to the Premier League but it leaves the door open for Shawcross to move on.

The former Manchester United defender has been linked with a move to Anfield for some time now but Tottenham and his former employers could throw a spanner in the works.

Liverpool, though, have moved into pole position even though a centre back is not one of Roy Hodgson’s priorities right now.

But the Liverpool boss will be hoping he can sign the 23-year-old for a knockdown price in January and will be hoping Pulis brings Victorino to the Britannia Stadium.

Sir Alex Ferguson could make a move to re-sign his former academy starlet, though, and a moved to Old Trafford could be too hard to resist for Shawcross.

Liverpool have also reportedly joined the race to sign Japanese international playmaker Keisuke Honda.

The versatile CSKA Moscow player, who is comfortable in wing or striking positions, is thought to be considering a Russian Premier League exit with Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson one of the managers thought to be keen.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was heavily linked with the player in the summer after a series of complimentary comments during the World Cup, but Liverpool have now joined the chase for the player.

Player agent Kees Ploegsma told Sport.co.uk:

- When a big club comes in he will want to leave but at the moment that has not happened.



- A lot of managers will be watching him after he played so well at the World Cup - now they can watch him more for CSKA and hopefully they will decide to try and do something in January.

CSKA are reportedly considering cashing in on the player, and Liverpool are set to challenge AC Milan and the Gunners for the player's signature.

The Llorente rumour heats up

On this day, in the aftermath of the Napoli 3-1 win, Jamie Carragher says Gerrard is Liverpools best player ever. On the other hand Roy Hodgson says Liverpool cannot keep relying on Gerrard brilliance.

Today also Tom Werner was appointed new chairman of the club, saying he is positive about the ide of a 39th game in Premier League abroad.

The hottest prospect in the transfer market right now, being linked with Liverpool, is Athletic Bilbao star Fernando Llorente. Reports say that he is expected to replace Fernando Torres, if he leaves in January.

Speculation is rife that Torres will quit Anfield in the middle of another disappointing campaign, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona all linked with him, Talksport writes.

Liverpool won't allow Torres to leave without having a replacement lined up, and his international understudy is the man at the top of their list.

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The 6ft 5in striker, who has scored seven times in 12 appearances for Spain, is nicknamed ‘the Lion King’ in Spain and has a growing reputation both in La Liga and around Europe.

But if the Reds are to pull off a deal for the 25-year-old, new owners New England Sports Ventures may have to meet the €36million buy-out clause in his Bilbao contract.

Another story that has been developing the last few days is that of the young Belgian international Eden Hazard.

He has been admired by Arsene Wenger for many years, but now it seems that Liverpool have joined Arsenal in a bid to take him to Anfield in January.

France Football reports that the 19 year-old was originally thought to be bound for the Emirates, but Liverpool’s new Director of Football, Damien Comolli, has also made contact with Lille as he has been tasked with finding a talented playmaker to assist Fernando Torres at Liverpool, LiverpoolFCNews.net reports.

According to GiveMeFootball.com the attacking midfielder, who often plays in the wing positions, is being courted by Manchester United, Arsenal and Lyon.

Serie A outfit Inter Milan were also thought to be keeping tabs on the player, but former Reds boss Rafa Benitez has dismissed the claims of a potential 2011 bid.

Dubbed 'the little Messi' by Lille boss Claude Puel, 19-year-old Hazard has made 80 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit already. He also has Europa League experience, as well as international recognition with 16 caps thus far for Belgium.

Lille are struggling financially and it is reported that they would accept any reasonable offer over 13m euros for their young star, but it now remains to be seen whether Arsenal or Liverpool want him the lost.

When it comes to the interest in Dutchman Ibrahim Afellay it seems Liverpool is not the only interested club.

The Dutchman’s contract with PSV Eindhoven expires at the end of the season and he has made it clear he does not wish to sign a new deal.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson reportedly traveled to the Netherlands to watch the 24-year-old with a view to signing him while Arsene Wenger also wants to lure Afellay to Arsenal.

However, reports in Spain are now suggesting Jose Mourinho will launch a January bid to bring then highly rated youngster to Spain, GiveMeFootball reports.

But the player himself has already admitted he would love to play in the Premier League, handing the initiative back to Arsenal and Liverpool.

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.