Linked manager 'very interested'

Linked German mananger is 'very interested'. 6ft 8in striker in fresh link. Adebayor for January Liverpool switch? Dutch strikers agent confirms interest. Preston midfielder linked.

Ralf Rangnick.

The rumours regarding who might be the next man in the Liverpool FC hot seat are heating up. The latest man being linked is German coach Ralf Rangnick. He says he is very interested in the Premier League and Liverpool is certainly a very interesting club with a great tradition, according to The Mirror.

Now the speculations also has been taken on by the BBC, which makes it even more credible, with Rangnick's agent talking about the interest.

- He would be interested in Liverpool and it's possible he could manage there, Rangnick's agent, Oliver Mintzlaff, said.

He added:

- There are no negotiations with them, not even a meeting yet, but he is a big fan of the Premier League. If he had to make a decision between the Premier League and staying in the Bundesliga, he would go to England.

Meanwhile Roy Hodgson has underlined his ambition to make changes to the Liverpool squad in the transfer window and 'stamp his philosophy' on the team. Apparently Hodgson would like to add a host of players to his underperforming side.

One of them could be FC Cluj striker Lacina Traore.

Lacina Traore.

According to The Mirror Liverpool are considering a January bid for the player.

The Reds are desperate for another striker to help propel them back up the table after a disappointing first half of the season, and boss Roy Hodgson has now identified 6ft 8in Traore as a possible solution.

The 20-year-old Ivory Coast forward was linked with Arsenal last summer and Fulham and Newcastle are also thought to be interested.

Emmanuel Adebayor.

Liverpool are also understood to have inquired to Manchester City about the availability of striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The striker has hit the headlines after being involved in another training ground bust-up with team mate Kolo Toure just 24 hours before the pair return to North London to face former club Arsenal.

Adebayor and Toure also squared up in April last year and today's news that City have agreed an agreement with Wolfsburg to sign their £30million-rated striker Edin Dzeko, a former Anfield target, could see the Togo international winging his way to Merseyside, ClickLiverpool report.

City are expected to be willing to accept a reduced price on the £25m they paid for the controversial striker little over 18 months ago.

Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

Another strongly linked player is Ricky van Wolfswinkel. His agent, Louis Laros, has confirmed there is interest from English sides but has urged both Liverpool and Tottenham to make an official approach.

The player looks set to quit Dutch side FC Utrecht and favours a move to the Barclays Premier League, according to Sport.co.uk.

The striker has been in sensational form for his Eredivisie side over the past two seasons, drawing comparisons with Netherlands legend Marco Van Basten, and has attracted a lot of interest.

- At this moment it is unlikely Ricky will move because I have not received an concrete offer from either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool, his agent said.

I cannot say at the moment if it is serious interest, an enquiry, or just rumours. We are waiting for calls from both clubs, as we need an official offer from Liverpool or Spurs to proceed.

Adam Barton.

The Mirror also report Liverpool are ready to buy Preston’s Northern Ireland international midfield starlet Adam Barton, building a squad for the future.

The Anfield club have been plotting raids on several youngsters in a bid to return to their old philosophy of grooming top young talent. North End have been asking for £5m for the 19-year-old, but Liverpool hope to lower the price with add-ons.

Highly rated manager linked

German is hottest nanager prospect. Bid made for Dutch winger? Swedish international linked.

These days the vast majority of Liverpool supporters will be waiting in suspense; who will eventually take over as manager after Roy Hodgson? When will there be a press coference? 

Speculations are mounting, with loads of names being mentioned. But right now there is one hot candidate on the radar...

Ralf Ragnick is linked with the Anfield manager job.

Up until now former Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard  has looked the most likely successor to Hodgson. And reports has said the Dutchman is thought to be receptive to the idea of taking the helm at Anfield.

But now it seems the hottest prospect for the position is German coach Ralf Rangnick, with several reports linking him to the job.

Didier Deschamps unlikely to be tempted?

According to The Daily Post Marseille boss Didier Deschamps, who turned down an approach from Liverpool in the summer, is believed to be their first choice. But the former France international is unlikely to be tempted to Anfield mid season with L’OM still in contention for the French League title and the Champions League.

However, the highly-rated Rangnick is available having quit German side Hoffenheim on Saturday in protest at Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo being sold to Bayern Munich against his wishes.

According to the German media, the 52-year-old former Schalke coach has caught the eye of Liverpool after leading Hoffenheim to back-to-back promotions to reach the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history.

His attack-minded brand of football is likely to appeal to Liverpool fans, but a lack of top-flight silverware and a poor record in Europe are likely to count against him.

Other targets mentioned are Andre Villa-Boas, the Porto manager, and Borussia boss Jurgen Klopp. But they are unlikely to be available until the summer, the paper claims.

More interesting reading: Ralf Rangnick – Next Liverpool Manager? (Tomkins Times)

Eljero Elia.

The most promising rumour when it comes to player signings right now is Dutch winger Eljero Elia from Bundesliga side Hamburg.

According to The Daily Mail Hamburg daily newspaper Morgenpost has suggested today that Liverpool have made a bid in the region of £13million for a player who has previously been compared with current Anfield man Ryan Babel.

According to German press he already has agreed personal terms with Liverpool. Elia has made 10 Bundesliga appearances this season, scoring twice. He was a member of Holland's World Cup squad, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute in the final for Dirk Kuyt.

The 23-year-old wide man has fallen out of favour with his current employers after failing to hit the heights of his debut campaign in Germany following a 2009 move from Steve McClaren's FC Twente.

His slump in form has led to reports he would make the switch to Wolfsburg, currently managed by McClaren, in a bid rekindle the form that earned him rave reviews in Holland.

Sebastian Larsson.

A fresh name on the Liverpool stransfer radar is former Arsenal player Sebastian Larsson.

The Sweden international has shone for Birmingham this season, but they have so far failed to agree on a new deal and his current contract is due to expire in the summer.

The former Arsenal man is now free to talk to foreign clubs and could move on a Bosman free transfer in the summer. Atletico have now joined the battle for his signature with Valencia already showing an interest.

However, skysports.com understands a host of Premier League clubs are set to join the chase, including Liverpool, are all thought to be keen on taking him on a free transfer at the end of the season.