Ashley Young back on the radar

Today three of Liverpool first team players has been linked with a move away from Merseyside. 

According to The Daily Mail Juventus are lining up a triple raid with approach for Alberto Aquilani, Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger.

An earlier strongly linked player however is back on the radar...

Todays biggest transfer rumour is regarding Ashley Young who Liverpool are hoping to bring in during the January transfer window, if you believe a report in The Mirror today.

Hodgson and transfer negotiator Damien Comolli are working on the ambitious project and hope to seal a deal worth £15m for the England winger in January, the paper say.

Villa will want a big fee for Young but Liverpool sources are quietly confident they can come to an agreement on price, especially if the player indicates that he fancies the move.

Also sources on the Koptalk Insider say there is contact with the player.

 

- His (Young) agent was in regular contact with Christian [Purslow] and Damien [Comolli] believes he could be snapped up for much less than Aston Villa are asking. Continuation here is the key. But I would expect a formal offer will go in very soon if nothing has changed since they last spoke, the Koptalk source said.

The most exciting rumour of this week seems not to go through. Ronaldinho has gone out playing down the talk of a rumoured move to Liverpool.

It was reported earlier in the week in the Italian press that the out-of-favour striker was seeking a move to pastures new with Roy Hodgson one of a number of potential suitors.

Nevertheless, despite playing second fiddle to compatriots Pato, Robinho and Swedish hitman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the 30-year-old insists that the Rossoneri’s Serie A table-topping form was reason enough for him to focus on life under Massimiliano Allegri, Sport.co.uk reports

Speaking to the press after Milan’s 2-0 home defeat to Ajax last night, Ronaldinho was coy on the transfer rumours:

- I am tranquil in terms of staying. It's an important season and we are top of Serie A for the first time since my arrival here.

- I want to put Allegri in difficulty when he plays me. It was not easy against Ajax as I was playing as a striker, but I was better in the second half.

Yesterday it was reported that Marseille have been trying to finalise a deal to sign Rennes full-back Rod Fanni, who also have been linked with Liverpool.

Sky Sports now report that Marseille chairman Jean-Claude Dassier has confirmed they are set to step up their interest.

It is thought the Mediterranean outfit would have to pay about €4million (£3.36m) to sign Fanni, who is under contract with Rennes until June 2012.
Talks

And the two clubs seem to have reached an agreement as Marseille are preparing to begin negotiations over personal terms with the former Lens and Nice player.

Liverpool linked Connor Wickham will not come cheaply. Ipswich boss Roy Keane has warned Liverpool they will have to offer big money, after comparing the teenager to Wayne Rooney.

Wickham, 17, is the Tractor Boys' youngest-ever player and a target for the Reds, who are ready to swoop in January, as well as Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.

Keane said:

- There aren't many Connor Wickhams around. You've got to be careful not to get blasé about Connor and say "we'll take £7m or £8m for him", The Daily Mail reports.

- I have a certain figure in my head that we'd have to consider. I think Connor and his agent would have that as well.

- Whether that's Tottenham or Liverpool or whoever, but United had to buy Rooney for £28m when he was 18.

According to Live4Liverpool German newspaper BILD is reporting that PSV striker Ola Toivonen is not ready to leave the Dutch club in January.

The Swedish international has been linked with Liverpool in recent months.

BILD reports that despite also being linked with Steve McClaren’s Wolfsburg, Toivonen is willing to remain at PSV for the rest of the season, ruling out a move to the Reds as the Merseyside club look to bolster their frontline in the January transfer window.

Both manager Roy Hodgson and assistant Sammy Lee have been said to have made personal checks on Toivonen this season with Roy confirming that the 24 year old came under consideration in August.

American Clint Dempsey, linked with Liverpool and Wolfsburg, has dismissed speculation with a switch from Fulham.

Steve McClaren's Wolfsburg are not having the best of runs in the Bundesliga and are also thought to be trailing the Texan.

However, Dempsey's agent Lyle Yorks claims the mooted interest from these two clubs is mere speculation, although he did reveal a number of sides are trailing the Cottagers star.

- Some of it is just reports and some of it is accurate, Yorks told MLSsoccer.com.

- There's interest in Clint, but there are no discussions right now.

On the Liverpool and Wolfsburg links, he added:

- These two are just reports at this point.

Also today a new name appears on the Liverpool transfer radar.

Roy Hodgson is said to be closely following the movements of FC Twente’s Theo Janssen according to Metro.

The midfielder is known as a free-kick specialist with an amazing left foot. He was propelled into the limelight this season with some impressive displays against Tottenham in the Champions League.

The 29-year-old is reported to have been on Hodgson’s radar for the past four months, and has a £3m release clause in his contract. However, the release clause does not come into effect until the summer.

- Nobody has spoken to me and if they did, FC Twente can ask what it wants for him, said club president, Joop Munsterman.

The effect of the clause could obviously force Hodgson to pay over the odds to get his man early in January. However, with the clause looming and without a contract renewal, it could force Twente to accept as little as £5million in the new year.

Scottish champions Rangers have also expressed an interest in the player, but should Liverpool make a move they would surely be favorites to land the Dutchman’s signature.

Swedish striker back on the radar

Speculations keeps coming on Roy Hodgsons manager future. According to FootballTransferTavern|he has got three games to save his job and turn Liverpools season around.

It seems Frank Rijkaard is the man ready to replace Hodgson.

During the summer transfer window Swedish striker Ola Toivonen was linked with a transfer to Liverpool. Now it seems the PSV player is back in the frame.

The PSV Eindhoven player scored twice as the Dutch club ran out 2-1 winners against Sampdoria in the Europa League.

His recent performances will have no doubt caught the eye of Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson as he looks to bring another striker to Anfield to take the goalscoring burden away from Fernando Torres.
- We have discussed his name, that's true, Hodgson earlier has told Sky Sports. - Like all teams, we are looking at a lot of players.
- I do know the player and think he is a good player, but can't give you any further indication.

- That doesn't mean we are going to rush in and buy him tomorrow. But he is a player who has come up, we have watched him and we know about him.

Now Liverpool are understood to be considering stepping up their interest in the £10 million-rated Sweden international in January in a bid to reinforce the striking ranks at Anfield, GiveMeFootball reports.

Liverpool have not yet made a move for reported Liverpool target Keisuke Honda, according to the player's agent.

Reports in Russia suggested that the two clubs had already begun negotiations over a possible transfer, with the Reds prepared to pay up to £8million.

But the 24-year-old's representative Kees Ploegsma insists there have been no offers for his client so far.

- To date, there is no offer for Keisuke from Liverpool, Kees Ploegsma says according to Sky Sports.

- There is nothing, these are just rumours. The situation is quiet. To date, there is no offer for Keisuke from Liverpool, nor from other teams.

- The player has a contract with CSKA Moscow [until 2013] and is now on vacation.

According to a report from France Football, Liverpool will move for Stade Rennais winger Sylvain Marveaux in the coming weeks as the talented 24-year-old is out of contract in the summer and will be available on a free transfer.

Rennes have repeatedly tried to extend the contract of the Vannes-born player, though he has persistently turned down their advances.

Having been approached by Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille last summer, it appears that Marveaux’s future is in England as new Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli has instigated the move for the former France Under-21 international.

Last season was something of a breakthrough campaign for the attacker, who scored an impressive 10 goals in 35 appearances. Previously his career had been rather blighted by injury, and even now he won’t play until 2011 because of a hamstring problem.

Liverpool have been recently linked with highly rated FC Copenhagen left-back Oscar Wendt and have admitted to scouting the defender.

Reds scout Jakob Friis-Hansen explained to swedish paper Expressen:

- We are keeping a good eye on Oscar. He does a great job, but he must play at a high level every week, the scout said.

- In Denmark there are just a few high-quality games.

He’s hardly Liverpool’s secret though. Several clubs such as Tottenham, Roma and Juventus have previously been keen on the player but a contract renewal in 2009 put an end to any potential move for the left-back.

German outfit Werder Bremen are now on red alert having discovered Liverpool’s possible intent and have renewed their interest. Bremen signed former Manchester United left-back Mikael Silvestre to fill the role last year, but Bermen manager Thomas Schaaf is far from satisfied with the former French International’s performances.

Wendt is very much the modern full-back and could fit comfortably into both teams. He a very strong defender but he also has the ability to get forward and support attacking play.

The Swede has been linked to a host of clubs, and probably more than we know about. Liverpool will have to write a decent cheque to land this one. Despite a valuation of £2.5million to £4million, it’s likely Roy will get his man at around £6million come January.

Reported Liverpool target Mirko Vucinic seems to be closer to a departure from Roma, according to TribalFootball.

Mirko Vucinic's minders are not firm in their commitment to AS Roma.

Rather than rule out a move away, the striker's agent, Eugene Ascari, now says the decision will be up to Roma management.

Vucinic confessed earlier this season an ambition to play in England.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United have all had the Montenegro star watched in the last 12 months.

Five players on the radar

On a day where John W. Henry has talked about more formal involvement for Liverpool fans, and the appointment of new Director of Football Strategy, Damien Comolli, the transfer rumour mill continues running warm.

The first name turning up is CSKA Moscow’s Brazilian striker Vagner Love.

According to Footylatest it is reported that Roy Hodgson is seriously considering making a bid in January for the player who has only recently returned to the Russian outfit.

Love was loaned out to Brazilian outfit Palmeiras and then on to Flamengo but it never quite worked out thus the return to Russia and it has been reported that the 26 year old is no longer happy back in Moscow, a fact that has apparently alerted Hodgson who wants to bring the Brazilian to Anfield.

No fee has been mentioned and Love’s value has certainly dropped and Liverpool would probably see change out of £10 Million.

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Meanwhile the Ibrahim Afellay rumour keeps coming back.

The Daily Mirror is according to Sport.co.uk reporting that Hodgson is weighing up a double move for both Afellay and Ola Toivonen. 

The paper suggests Hodgson saw Afellay and Swedish international Toivonen in action against FC Twente at the weekend and was sufficiently impressed to now want to bring the pair to Anfield in January.

Afellay is likely to be available for a nominal fee given his contract situation, but there is strong interest in the attacking midfielder, and the Mirror suggests Liverpool will face stern opposition from a host of top clubs around Europe, most notably from Arsenal and Manchester United.
 
Toivonen also caught Hodgson’s eye during the Eredivisie game and the aforementioned newspaper claim Liverpool will propose an ambitious deal to bring the attacking duo to Anfield at the turn of the year.

Sport.co.uk also reports that a chase for Palermo sensation Javier Pastore is hotting up amid reports Barcelona will make a £35 million bid for the Argentine international in January. 

The prodigious playmaker has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League with Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool all tracking the 21-year-old. 

Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign the player as a teenager but were rebuffed due to work permit issues, but the player reportedly favours a move to Spain. 

Finaly a Brazilian "wing wizard" apparently is getting Hodgsons interest.

Both Liverpool and Manchester City is to be in a race to sign Renato Augusto from Bayer Leverkusen.

Rafa Benitez was heavily linked with a move for the player in January 2009, and Augusto has continued to produce solid performances at the BayArena. 

Manchester City are now thought to be interested in the player, with German paper Express reporting that the Citizens are willing to spend in the region of €20 million for the player, GiveMeFootball reports.