Liverpool to renew interest in Real Madrid striker?

After the draw against Wigan Kenny Dalglish blamed the internationals for his tired Liverpool.

There is little doubt the club is going to reinforce it's squad in the summer, and today there is one very exciting rumour appearing.

Liverpool reportedly had a bid turned down for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema late on deadline day.

Despite playing regularly for Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, Karim Benzema has struggled for form this season and has been linked with a move away in the summer to either Aston Villa or Manchester United.

Benzema was unable to leave the Bernabau in January after Real Madrid’s injury crisis left the young French forward as the club's only recognised fit striker at the club.

After Madrid signed Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor to ease their striker crisis it is thought that the club were willing to let the former Lyon forward leave, only for time constraints to stop Liverpool from pushing the deal through.

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Although Liverpool were able to sign Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez on deadline day, it is thought the club are still likely to renew their interest in Benzema as the club's new owner, John W. Henry, is keen to see the Merseyside club once again challenging for top honours, Goal.com claims.

Elsewhere, Marseille defender Taye Taiwo has revealed that he is ready to quit the French club after refusing to sign a new contract with the Champions League club.

The Nigerian international will be available on a free transfer at the end of the season, putting Liverpool and Tottenham on high alert as the Premier League clubs search for a talented left-back, Sportsvibe claims.

The 25-year-old has drawn interest from a number of clubs due to his impressive performances in Ligue 1 where he has scored three goals in 16 league appearances.    

Taiwo will draw even more interest now that it is apparent there will be no transfer fee involved, although it is claimed that he is already in talks with a European club.

- I have made the decision not to sign a contract extension. I want to change clubs in June, Taiwo told The Nation.

- My agent and I are in advanced talks with a club from one of Europe's top three leagues and I expect to reach an agreement in the near future.

Liverpool negotiating winger deal?

Liverpool negotiating winger deal? Real Madrid striker back on the radar. New bid for Blackpool captain? Middlesbrough teenage sensation is Kenny's surprise target? Former Reds defender back in a few days?

New, unconfirmed Twitter rumours keeps on coming about Luis Suarez, saying things like 'BREAKING NEWS: Luis Suarez has signed a 4 n a half year deal with Liverpool FC. Conference scheduled at 6pm'.

And this one: 'Luis Suarez looks likely to join Liverpool I'm told. He'd make a great partnership with El Niño Torres.

And this NESN-article stating 'Signs Pointing to Luis Suarez-Liverpool Deal Coming Soon'.

Elsewhere, there is no shortage of other rumors ...

Liverpool are negotiating with Wigan Athletic over a possible deal to bring winger Charles N’Zogbia to Anfield, according to a report in The People.

Reds manager Kenny Dalglish is believed to have money to spend in the January transfer window, having trust showed in him by new owner John Henry, and the attacking winger could be the major name to arrive during January. Director of Football, and the man in charge of transfer policy, Damien Comolli, is also thought to be keen on the player.

One potential stumbling block however could be the valuation of N'Zogbia by the two parties, as Wigan are said to want £15m for the former Newcastle Utd player, but Liverpool are only willing to offer half that fee.

The Liverpool FC official site today clams sources cited by the German 4-4-2 Web site, say the Reds are eying a loan move for 23-year-old French international Karim Benzema, with an option for a permanent purchase at the end of the season.

Benzema continues to be on the fringes of the Real Madrid side, despite the long-term injury to front-man Gonzalo Higuain.

His failure to secure a first-team place under Jose Mourinho has even caused conflict between the Real coach and general director Jorge Valdano.

Valdano said after last Sunday's draw with Almeria that he hoped Benzema did not stay on the bench for too long, calling the situation "unfair."

To which Mourinho responded by saying, "I pick the team, and if I need any help then I have my coaching staff."

The People also say Kenny Dalglish will make a new £5million offer for Charlie Adam – with the Blackpool skipper ready to walk to Anfield.

Adam, who scored a late penalty in Blackpool’s 2-1 defeat at home to Sunderland yesterday, has told the club he is determined not to miss out on a dream move to Merseyside.

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway said he would allow Adam to move only to a top-four club, but Liverpool were “an exception.”

Dalglish is ready to go back for the 25-year-old Scot after having a £4m bid turned down. But he will get a frosty reception from Holloway.

He said: “These clubs who have made an offer for Charlie had better start putting a ‘1’ in front of the complete rubbish they have been offering so far. If Darren Bent is worth £24m how much is Charlie worth?”

Finaly, The People have one more Anfield transfer story, saying Middlesbrough’s teenage sensation Cameron Park is a surprise target for Kenny Dalglish.

The 18-year-old left winger only made his Championship debut last Saturday when he came on as an 83rd-minute substitute in the 4-0 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

And Liverpool scouts saw Park make an immediate impact when he won a last-minute penalty as he was sent sprawling by keeper David James. Hotline understands that Liverpool have already been in contact with Boro about the England youth international.

Park is the latest exciting young left winger to come off their production line following Chris Brunt, Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson.

They tied Park down to the summer of 2015 when he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract in December. 

Stephen Warnock will complete a return to Liverpool from Aston Villa in the next few days, Kopsource understands. The former Liverpool youth product will join on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal.

We originally reported the news of a possible loan move for Warnock earlier in the month, and despite all speculation falling to a deafening silence, the move looks likely to go ahead.

This may not be the transfer news that the Liverpool fans had been hoping to hear, but it shows that Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli are working on strengthening more than just one position.

With Martin Kelly claiming the right-back position and Glen Johnson currently plying his trade on the left, the aqcuisition of Warnock could signal a new attacking role for Johnson.

Gomez interest confirmed

Today Glen Johnson again is linked with a move away from Liverpool. This time it is Real Madrid that apparently is interested in the defender.

He is back on Real Madrid's radar after details emerged of a bust-up between Jose Mourinho and his vice-captain Sergio Ramos, The Daily Mail reports.

Reported Liverpool target Mario Gomez' agent says he expects interest in the January transfer window.

Sport.co.uk understands that the Bayern Munich forward is attracting interest from top European clubs ahead of the January transfer window with the player’s representative expecting enquiries for the striker.

Gomez, 25, is being tracked by Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Juventus following a difficult start to the Bundesliga campaign with Bayern Munchen having onlu recently broken into the first-team following an injury to Miroslav Klose.

The German international is highly regarded as one of Europe’s most prolific marksman following his 35 million euro move from Stuttgart to Bayern Munich in 2009.

Despite recently being given more game time by boss Louis van Gaal Gomez is being monitored closely by the aforementioned trio, but despite interest there has been no formal offers. However the player’s agent does intimate that it is still early to talk about transfer gossip.

Oliver Mintzlaff told Sport.co.uk:

- Mario Gomez is one of the best strikers in Europe, the best German striker, and the best in the Bundesliga. There is no concrete interest, but it is early, we expect interest. But even with Mario at the moment, it is quiet.

Reported Liverpool and Arsenal target Karim Benzema is now also on the radar of Juventus.

According to Il Corriere dello Sport the Italian giants will attempt to sign the Real Madrid striker on loan for the rest of the season in what would represent a blow to his Premier League suitors.

The 22-year-old joined Real from Lyon for around £30 million in 2009 but failed to live up to expectations during his first season at the Bernabeu.

His poor form had led to growing speculation that he would soon leave Spain and, despite a recent turnaround in fortunes for the France international in Madrid, it has been claimed he could still leave Los Blancos should their demands be met.

Liverpool and Arsenal are said to both be monitoring the Frenchman with a view to making a move in January and Real are reportedly willing to accept offers of around £15 million for his services.

But - along with Juventus - Liverpool will allegedly have to battle with with Arsenal in the race for Benzema after Mediaset reported he is the north London club's 'no.1 target'.

David Bentley looks likely to end his nightmare stay at Spurs in January, and is hopeful of securing a move to Liverpool after reports of interest from manager Roy Hodgson, according to Metro.

Bentley, who is still just 26, wants to leave White Hart Lane after falling out of favour with Harry Redknapp in a bid to reignite his flailing career.

And the former Blackburn and Arsenal star has identified Anfield as his first-choice destination amid speculation that Hodgson is considering a bid in the region of £5million to take him to Merseyside.

Bentley has shown flashes of his talent since making the move back to London from Ewood Park in a 2008 deal thought to be in the region of £17million.

However, he has failed to justify his price tag and remains on the fringes of the first team behind several of the club's other creative stars including Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and new signing Rafael van der Vaart.

Hodgson is desperate to add a specialist winger to his squad and believes for the price he is expected to command during the transfer window, Bentley represents a bargain.

The former England international has started just one Premier League game all season, and his exorbitant wages at Spurs mean the former Fulham manager believes he can play hardball in negotiations over the player's transfer value.

According to the Daily Mirror, Liverpool, along with Stoke, Fulham and Aston Villa are queueing up to sign Manchester City left back Wayne Bridge.

The former England international is not part of Roberto Mancini’s first team plans after he bought Aleksandar Kolarov for £19million from Lazio in the summer and is expected to leave Eastlands in January. 

Stoke are said to be leading the way for the 30 year old as Potters boss Tony Pulis is believed to be lining up a loan bid in the New Year. 

Bridge has two years left on a £70,000 per week contract, after joining from Chelsea in January 2009.

Liverpool’s hopes of signing Rennes right-back Rod Fanni have been given a boost, Imscouting reports.

The news is that a proposed move to Marseille looks likely to fall through.

Fanni is one of the best right-backs in the French top division and has forced his way into the French national team over the past couple of years, making five appearances for them so far.

The attacking-minded defender has been watched closely by Liverpool of late, with Roy Hodgson travelling to France to watch him play against Auxerre last month.  With Hodgson having had a public disagreement with Glen Johnson recently, speculation increased over Fanni's arrival at Liverpool.

However, Marseille have also been linked with Fanni for some time and indicated a few days ago that they expected to tie up a deal for the 29-year-old.

Now, the French champions have revealed that they have been unable to push through a deal for Fanni, leaving the door open for Liverpool.

Marseille chairman Jean-Claude Dassier told RMC:

- Today we can only be pessimistic, Fanni's agent is being irrational and it is doubtful a deal will now be done. I can't see any way it could be completed, except if the player decides to manage himself in a reasonable way.

A name that comes back on to the transfer radar of Roy Hodgson today is Benfica winger Fabio Coentrao.

He was a reported target under Benitez, but now it seems he is back, with GiveMeFootball today reporting on a potential bidding war between several clubs.

Manchester United is a new club in the race for the player that has been monitored by some of Europe's elite in recent seasons.

AC Milan have reportedly earmarked the versatile left sided player, who can play in defence or midfield, as a potential successor to Paolo Maldini, and are poised to move for the player.

This news could spur Manchester United into showing their transfer hand, with the Old Trafford club still keeping an eye on the situation.

Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and Juventus are, like Manchester United, also thought to be keen on the player, whilst Liverpool have long been admirers of the players ability.

Hodgson is keen to strengthen his squad, and with question marks over the form of Paul Konchesky, Liverpool could make their move in January. They are the outsiders, though, it is reported.

Another transfer target Liverpool apparently also have to fight against Manchester United to get is Valencia winger Joaquin.

TalkSPORT suggests the Spain international - also a reported target for Liverpool - could be tempted to leave Valencia for Manchester.

Sir Alex Ferguson is allegedly a keen admirer of the 29-year-old and has apparently identified him as the man to replace the injured Antonio Valencia at Manchester United.

However, the Manchester United boss will reportedly have to fight with Liverpool for his signature as Roy Hodgson looks to add more cutting edge to his side in January.

A transfer battle between Manchester United and Liverpool would make for fascinating viewing for the neutrals as each side looks to improve their respective squads.

The Liverpool boss has admitted that his side rely too heavily on the goalscoring talents of Anfield hero Fernando Torres and, hence, is understood to have identified his attacking department as the most in need of reinforcement.

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.

Liverpool to swoop for Benzema?

On the day that brings none other than Kenny Dalglish to Twitter, and the Liverpool owners begin searsh for a new Chief Executive to follow Christian Purslow - there is given doubt to if Roy Hodgson will bring any new players to Anfield in January.

But regardless rumours continue to come...

The most interesting rumour today is about Real Madrid flop Karim Benzema.

The France striker has failed to live up to expectations since his €35 million to the Bernabeu in 2009 and has since been linked with a move to Liverpool, GiveMeFootball reports.

Roy Hodgson will however have to battle for his signature with Juventus who - according to Tuttosport - are prepared to spend big to land the 22-year-old.

Earlier this month Benzema's agent however shot down speculation linking him with Liverpool, Juve and Manchester United - saying that his client would continue to fight for his place in Madrid.

- The future of Karim Benzema will be at Real Madrid, Karim Djaziri told calciomercato.com.

An exiting thought to pair Benzema with Torres in the Liverpool attack

- We have got to make certain that if we go out and spend £20m, we are getting a £20m player, Hodgson said a fortnight ago.

Say no more!

Reports say Liverpool had scouts in the stands, along with Tottenham, for the match between PSV and FC Utrecht. And the Dutch press have reported that both Liverpool and Spurs were scouting 23 year old Hungarian Balazs Dzsudzsak.

The Hungarian has been in impressive form in the last few seasons, finishing last season’s campaign with 14 goals as a left winger. He has already scored 7 goals this season with five coming in just five European games.

Dzsudzsak has been a long term target for Arsenal, and with Liverpool lacking any real width on the left hand side, the Hungarian could be an interesting target, Live4Liverpool reports.

Another player in the same team is on the radar.

Liverpool have reportedly sent scouts to watch PSV Eindhovens Brazilian striker Jonathan Reis.

The forward joined PSV from the Atletico Madrid academy in 2007. He scored a hat-trick in a 10-0 thrashing of Feyenoord, and has seven goals in four league games since penning a new three-year deal.

His form has triggered interest from across Europe, with Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson sending scouts to watch the player in the 2-1 weekend win against Utrecht, GiveMeFootball writes.

They say NESV have pledged a transfer war chest in the region of £35 million at Anfield. However, the former Fulham boss could face competition for the 21-year-old's signature, with Dutch media sources reporting that Spurs scouts joined those from Liverpool in the crowd on Sunday.

Spennede sommer

Det går mot en svært spennende sommer for Liverpool FC. Det nærmer seg eierskifte og usikkerheten rundt managerens framtid er stor - likevel kobles en rekke spillere med overganger til Merseyside.

Med kun én kamp igjen å spille av sesongen bobler det virkelig på ryktebørsen.

Til tross for usikkerhet rundt Benitez' framtid og nye eiere på vei inn i klubben blir flere kvalitetsspillere satt i sammenheng med overganger til Liverpool og Merseyside.

Det er stor usikkerhet omkring Rafa Benitez er manager når neste sesong sparkes igang, og hvem blir nye eiere?

Det kanskje mest overraskende ryktet akkurat nå er at Liverpool skal være interessert i å hente Chelseas Joe Cole, som er Bosman-spiller i sommer. The Daily Mail melder at Liverpool har et ønske om å bygge neste sesongs lag rundt midtbanespilleren som ikke vil skrive ny kontrakt med Londonklubben.

Liverpool har en strategi som sier at klubben skal hente flere britiske spillere og vil i følge avisa hente minst to spillere fra Storbritannia i sommer. Det var en del av denne strategien da man hentet Jonjo Shelvey fra Charlton for litt siden.

Et annet rykte den siste tiden har handlet om at Liverpool kan være aktuell endestasjon om Carlos Téves bestemmer seg for å skifte klubb i sommer. I en artikkel i The Daily Mail uttrykker han misnøye med sin situasjon i Manchester City. Spissen har også tidligere vært koblet med en overgang til Merseyside, og nå kommer det opp nok en gang.

Det er ikke vanskelig å påstå at Liverpool trenger en klassespiss i tillegg til Torres, og Téves kan godt være løsningen.

En annen spiss som også i disse dager blir linket til Liverpool er Real Madrid-spissen Karim Benzema. Spilleren skal interessere våre erkefiender i Manchester United, men i følge Tribalfootball skal også Liverpool være svært interessert.

Den spanske hovedstadsklubben skal visstnok ha storopprydding i stallen sin i sommer og i tillegg til Benzema skal også både Rafael Van der Vaart og Lassana Diarra være på vei bort og aktuelle for Anfield.

I følge Click Liverpool skal klubbene allerede ha vært i samtaler, i hvert fall når det gjelder Van der Vaart. Samtaler som har skjedd uten at Benitez har vært innvolvert - noe som gjør Benitez ytterligere frustrert.

En spiller som kan være på vei ut i sommer er Yossi Benayoun, som i følge en artikkel i The Guardian både kaster tvil over sin egen framtid i Liverpool og framtiden til både Steven Gerrard og Fernando Torres.

- En klubb som Liverpool må gjøre alt de kan for å beholde spillere som Stevie [Gerrard] og Fernando, men mange ting kan endre og om noen få uker vil vi vite mer, sa Benayoun, som også innrømmer at hans egen Liverpool-karriere kan være over.

- Det er vanskelig å snakke om neste sesong, når vi ikke vet hvilke endringer som kommer når det gjelder spillerne og eiere. Det er for tidlig. Personlig vet jeg ikke om jeg vil være her eller om jeg drar. Mange ting kan skje. Om det var opp til meg, ville jeg blitt her og spilt karieren ferdig i Liverpool. Fansen her er de beste i verden, men det avhenger av mange ting. Det vil være mye klarere snart, sier Yossi.

Benayoun blir blant annet koblet med en overgang til Tottenham, der Harry Redknap skal være interessert i en handel.

En ting er helt sikkert: Om Liverpool skal holde på fire spillere etter sommerens Silly Season er det disse: Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun og Pepe Reina.

Hva mener du?

Ryktebørsen: To franske spisser?

Liverpool skal vise interesse for to unge, franske spisser som spiller for Lyon.

 I følge Sportingo melder flere medier at Liverpool skal være interessert i de to Lyon-spillerne Hatem Ben Arfa og Karim Benzema.

De to unge spissene skal ha vært linket til de fleste lagene som spiller i Champions League, og et totalbeløp for begge på £40m har blitt nevnt.

Ben Arfa er 20 år, har kommet gjennom systemet hos Lyon, og fikk sitt gjennombrudd på førstelaget for omkring to år siden. Han har scoret 15 mål på 22 kamper for Frankrikes U21-lag, sammen med blant andre Karim Benzema.

Benzema er også 20 år, både spiss og mulig ving på begge sider, og har debutert på Frankrikes A-landslag.

 I følge bloggen Soccerlens skal Newcastle jobbe for å forsterke forsvaret sitt, akkurat som vi trenger. De skal se på skotske Rangers' Alan Hutton (23). En spiller som visstnok også Liverpool skal ha på blokka si.

Hutton er i følge Wikipedia præmert en høyreback og skrev under ny kontrakt med Rangers i sommer. Noe som vel kanskje gjør han både dyr og uaktuell?

 Avisa Birmingham Mail forteller at Aston Villa-manager Martin O'Neil likevel IKKE er spesielt opptatt av å kjøpe Scott Carson til Aston Villa i Januar. Carson har imponert som lånespiller i Birmingham-klubben, og har til og med fått sin England-debut. Men O'Neil sier det ikke har vært noen konkrete samtaler mellom Villa og Liverpool..

- Vi har en avtale som gjelder for en sesong. Og det er det. Vi er fornøyd med denne avtalen. Men hvis Liverpool kommer og vil snakke med oss (om avtalen), blir det en annen sak. Vi har ikke satt oss ned og snakket om hans langsiktige framtid, sier O'Neil til avisa.