Liverpool to find winger compromise?

As it stands now, it does not look like there will be any transfer for either Luis Suarez or Charlie Adam.

Earlier today, with a tung-in-cheek comment, Ajax manager Frank de Boer warned the value of the striker is increasing by up to £5million a day and told Liverpool they have until January 29 to force through a deal to sign Luis Suarez. 

Suarez reportedly had a plan to convince Ajax to reduce their £30m asking price, but it seems the player has been offered a loyalty bonus if he snubs Liverpool this month.

But, according to the Daily Mirror, Liverpool has 'slammed the door shut' on negotiations for both Suarez and Adam. Liverpool bid £12.7m and £4.5m for them respectively, but each's current club was asking for more than double those numbers.

However, another report says that Charlie Adam looks almost certain to be at Liverpool before the transfer window closes at midnight on Monday. Anfield looks to be his most likely destination at 4/11 odds with betting company Boylesports.com, the report says.

So, if there's going to be any players coming in at all, who will it be, then?

Right now the hottest tip is Charles N'Zogbia coming in to replace Ryan Babel. The fee was according to Click Lancashire thought to be in the region of £8m, which would be a fare price for all concerned.

But now, according to The People, Wigan have slapped a £15million price tag on the French winger, with Liverpool only willing to pay half that figure but still hopeful of finding a compromise.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish made a personal check on N’Zogbia during Wigan’s draw with Fulham last weekend.

The Anfield club’s move for the Wigan star has been driven by Stretford and his business partner, former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd, the paper reports.

A name that again is back is Lacina Traore. Liverpool are reportedly ready to make their move for him if as the Luis Suarez saga continues to rumble on.

With Liverpool desperate for striking reinforcements in January, they could be forced to set their sights elsewhere in pursuit of more potent attacking options, GiveMeFootball say.

One of their reported targets is FC Cluj frontman Lacina Traore who, according to talkSPORT, could be available to Liverpool for €12 million. And now, Sport.co.uk understands, that Liverpool are indeed monitoring the Ivorian striker.

A new name on the radar: Manchester United will reportedly battle Liverpool over the signature of Lyon's Michael Bastos at the end of the season, Sportingo claims.

With the Red Devils increasingly resigned to losing Patrice Evra in the summer – most likely to Real Madrid – plans are being made for the acquisition of his replacement.

However, they will face competition from arch-rivals Liverpool who are desperate to find a top class player for what has become a problem position for them. Paul Konchesky's career at Anfield appears to be already over after a series of calamitous displays following his summer move from Fulham while Fabio Aurelio is not rated by manager Kenny Dalglish. This has seen the out-of-form Glen Johnson deployed in an unfamiliar role, highlighting a clear need for specialist in that part of the field.

Bastos has impressed for Lyon in the Champions League this season and the Ligue 1 side are reluctant to sell him on the cheap with opening bids likely to be at around the £22m mark.

By the way...What a pity we didn't get Ronaldinho, he can literaly score from anywhere:

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.

New bid for Suarez?

Where's Babel going? New bid for Suarez? Inter Milan midfielder on the radar. American international in part exchange deal? Liverpool flopp to help transfer of Belgium international?

Today, let's start with some transfers that may not be...

Ryan Babel may be prised out of a transfer back to his Ajax.

He is now stalling over a move to Hoffenheim, despite the Bundesliga's club's £5.8million bid being accepted by Liverpool, in the hope that Ajax will take him back, says The Daily Mail.

And tonight Sky Sports report Liverpool have had a £4m bid for Charlie Adam turned down by Blackpool.

Adam has been heavily linked with a move away from Bloomfield Road during this month's transfer window, with Aston Villa having already had two offers for the 25-year-old rejected.

Pool boss Ian Holloway previously branded Villa's failed £3.5m bid for Adam 'insulting', and it appears the Seasiders were equally unimpressed by the Reds' offer, which was similarly snubbed despite being the highest bid yet for his services.

Holloway has continuously stated that Adam is going nowhere this month, stressing his desire to keep the highly-rated midfielder at the promoted club.

Now back to this transfer window's longest running saga; will Luis Suarez finaly become a Liverpool player?

Well, according to FootyLatest, money still appears to be an issue at Anfield and their recent pursuit of Ajax striker Luis Suarez has highlighted this fact, after Ajax knocked back Liverpool’s initial £13 Million offer as derisory.

Liverpool have been told they are a clear £8 Million short and that they need to come back with an offer that matches the Ajax valuation, or Kenny Dalglish will have to start looking elsewhere.

If we are to belive The Daily Mail, Liverpool's initial bid for striker Luis Suarez was reportedly worth about half of what Ajax was looking for. Now, however, it appears as though Liverpool has closed the gap considerably, and a deal could soon follow.

Liverpool has upped its initial bid of £10.95 million ($17.38 million) to £18 million ($28.58 million), the paper claims. Ajax was reportedly seeking £20 million ($31.75 million) for the Uruguayan star, but £18 million certainly might be enough to get the job done, despite Ajax's insistence that it's not enough.

Elswhere The Metro claims Inter Milan's Sulley Muntari looks set to spark a £10 million transfer tug-of-war between Liverpool and Spurs with fresh transfer talk emerging from the San Siro.

The former Portsmouth player has been encouraged by Ghana team-mate Asamoah Gyan to leave the Nerazzurri for Sunderland but a high profile shift to Liverpool or Tottenham appears to be the more likely option for the 26-year-old.

Liverpool’s active transfer mindset and vast available funds also has them at the helm to secure Muntari’s signature valued at £9.6m.

Promised plenty of funds, Reds manager Kenny Dalglish would like to have a replacement for Lucas in the centre of the park and Muntari’s accurate passing game would be a valued asset at Anfield.

Inter Milan’s technical director Marco Branca said earlier in the week that Muntari is free to leave as long as a suitable fee and club is found before the window closes at the end of the month.

- He (Muntari) has made himself available to leave as long as a team wants him and is interested in him, Branca explained to Sky Italia.

Liverpool are also being linked with a shock part-exchange move as part of the deal to bring Clint Dempsey to the club.

The American international has been linked with a move to Anfield in recent months, and Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is reportedly considering off-loading full-back Paul Konchesky as part of the deal, GiveMeFootball report.

Konchesky joined the Reds in the summer from Fulham, with former Liverpool chief Roy Hodgson bringing the player to Merseyside in a deal worth around £4 million.

And, finaly, speculations regarding the future of Steven Defour keeps on coming. Maybe a current Liverpool-player could play a key role in bringing him to Anfield in the summer?

According to GiveMeFootball Liverpool have been maintaining a line of contact with the Manchester United target.

The Belgium captain has long been on the radar of Sir Alex Ferguson and is thought to be keen to eventually seal a move to Manchester.

He is, however, in regular contact with Liverpool…well, that is to say 'in contact' with Reds' flop Milan Jovanovic, who played with the 22-year-old at Standard Liege.

"Sometimes I hear something from Steven Defour,” said the Serbia international. "He supports me in Liverpool and I support him now that he is injured.”

Luis Suarez deal imminent?

There is still no solution to the Ryan Babel situation. At the moment he is in talks with Hoffenheim, having passed the medical test.
But according to Fox Sports Babel favors a switch to Ajax.

However there are more clubs that would like to sign the dutchman. His agent has revealed that the Liverpool forward has six offers on the table from various clubs, including Hoffenheim.

According to Live4Liverpool there 'was a total of three German offers and three English clubs also wanted him'.

Luis Suarez is on the verge of moving to Liverpool, according to reports.

The Daily Mail claims that 'Reds owner John Henry met with the Ajax striker's agent in London on Tuesday night as talks accelerated over the proposed deal.

'Henry dined with agent Pere Guardiola - the brother of Barcelona boss Pep - as Liverpool move in on their No 1 January target.'

The deal is being described as 'imminent', with the Mail announcing 'Uruguay striker Suarez fancies a move to Merseyside as there are plenty of Spanish speakers in the Reds dressing room.'

The Dutch giants want around £27million for the player but he is expected to leave for a much lower figure.

And today's most positive surprise was the message from Liverpool chairman Tom Werner, insisting the club's owners are prepared to splash the cash if the right player becomes available in the transfer window.

Valuations of Suarez stretch from £18m to £25m and it remains to be seen whether Anfield's new owners are prepared to go that far.

But, asked if Liverpool still had the money to secure marquee signings like the £22m spent on Torres in 2007, Werner replied: 'Yes. Look at our history. We will be driven by value but we certainly have the resources to have some targets'.

Anderlecht president Herman van Holsbeeck has confirmed that Liverpool have enquired about their striker Romelu Lukaku, along with Chelsea and Tottenham.

- Our price will be around €30million [£25.2m]. We received one offer from an English club three days before the end of the August transfer period. It was €10m [£8.4m] immediately and €10m in one year. We would not accept the offer because we wanted to keep the player. I think he will go to the Premier League. For him the team is in England. We know that Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool are interested in him and that they follow the player, he said according to Live4Liverpool.

- There is some interest from Real Madrid but we know they are interested in every good young player. What for us is the right club? The Premier League clubs from the UK are the biggest clubs in the world with a lot of money.

Lukaku confirmed this week a move to Chelsea or another Premier League club would be his preferred destination:

A new name enters the transfer stage... According to GiveMeFootball Liverpool are facing stiff competition from Chelsea in the race to sign Chilean international Alexis Sanchez.

The Udinese star has been monitored by a string of top European clubs in recent seasons, with Liverpool one of those keen to bring the player to the Barclays Premier League.

Real Madrid, Lyon and Manchester United are also thought to be interested in signing the player, but Chelsea now appear to be leading the race for the 22-year-old, according to the Metro.
Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo has revealed that the Blues are in talks with the club over a move for the player, who has previously been dubbed 'the new Ronaldo'.

Sanchez has the ability to play on either flank, and the former River Plate loanee shot to prominence after braking into the Chilean national team as a teenager.

It's unknown if new Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has taken an interest in the player, but the Merseysiders are keen to add attacking flair to their outfit in the current transfer window.

Finaly, a more familiar face on radar - Keisuke Honda.

Sport.co.uk can confirm that meetings have been scheduled with a number of top European clubs next week at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar with representatives from the Premier League trio of Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa expected in the Gulf state.

Liverpool are considered to the favourites to land Honda with Kenny Dalglish and Director of football Strategy Damien Comolli keen on the frontman, while Arsenal scouts and Aston Villa representatives are also present in Qatar with both club manager’s fans of the forward, although Arsene Wenger and Gerard Houllier could baulk at the price-tag of the forward.

AC Milan have also been tracking Honda since the World Cup last summer.

Bid made for Spanish striker?

Babel going to Hoffenheim? Bid made for Alvaro Negredo? Young and Downing not for sale. Johnson going to Spurs?

For a while it seemed most likely that Ryan Babel was on his way to Ajax, involved in a swap deal where Luis Suarez would go the other way. Now, however the more likely outcome seems to be Babel going to German club Hoffenheim.

This afternoon an official statement on Liverpoolfc.tv says:

'Liverpool FC this afternoon announced they had accepted a bid from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for the transfer of Dutch international Ryan Babel. The Bundesliga Club have now been given permission to discuss personal terms with the player, who has travelled to Germany'. 

The latest reports however says the Hoffenheim deal is 'is far from cut and dried'. 'There are still details to be clarified. We are still not in agreement', said the clubs general manager Ernst Tanner.
 

Today Spanish football writer Guillem Balague said this on his Twitter :

Liverpool negotiating with few strikers. Made an offer for Negredo but Luis Suarez is in pole position.Torres tends to b on his own upfront'. 

Earlier Talksport has reported that Liverpool has been given green light to make a £17m move for the Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo. This makes that report more likely to be true.


All this does, of course, not stop the Luis Suarez saga from tumbling on...

It has looked like Tottenham has been Liverpool's worst rival in the hunt for the Suarez. But now reports claims Spurs has switch sights to Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano.

Tottenham are considering a move for the £12.5m Sevilla striker as they are set to miss out on Liverpool-bound Luis Suarez, Goal.com report.

Another report that makes til Suarez Liverpool move more likely is The Daily Mail saying Ajax has stripped of him the club captaincy.

Something that makes the deal less likely is a report from ESPN, saying Ajax would in all probability only be able to finance a deal for Babel if they sell Suarez and De Boer has warned that they will not allow the striker to leave for a pittance.

Now the Babel deal seems not to go through for Ajax, and The Daily Mail claims Ajax want £27m for Suarez but that he is likely to cost significantly less.

Two other messages from Twitter:

@Muireannnn: Liverpool have made an official bid for Luis Suarez! They want 23m, sorry Ajax Liverpool want your best player ;)

@Arlarse: "Liverpool seal Suarez deal after tough negotiations. £18 million plus £6 million in clauses. Contract will be signed tomorrow" 
 

In adition to Suarez Ashley Young and Stewart Downing has looked like Liverpools other prime targets for this transfer window. And some sources claim Liverpool prepare 'crazy money' for the Villa winger.

But according to Kopsource Gerard Houllier insists Downing and Young are not for sale.

Speaking at the unveiling of his new £24m striker Darren Bent, Houllier dismissed reports that either player could be leaving the club this month.

- They’re not for sale, as simple as that.” said the former Anfield boss.

Today's most surprising rumour is that Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson is on the verge of a £15m move to Tottenham Hotspur, with the England international only needing to agree personal terms with the North Londoners for the transfer to go through.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has worked with the full back while he was in charge of both West Ham United and Portsmouth, signing him as a 15-year-old for the Hammers Academy, and again while at Fratton Park, where he spent £4m to bring him to the South Coast from Chelsea in August 2007.

And, with new Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish in desperate need of money to strengthen his under-performing squad as they battle against relegation and the Scot also delighted with the recent progress made by local boy Martin Kelly, who has deputised for Johnson in recent weeks with the defender absent due to personal issues, both parties appear happy with the move, according to Sporting.

Transfer target in 'showdown talks'

On the day of the very important Everton derby it is claimed that 'super agent' Pini Zahavi has arrived at Anfield, to help overhaul the Liverpool squad.

Now Dalglish and Comolli are prepared to go hunting! And we are today being linked with a few very exciting names ...

Luis Suarez, the £20million-rated Ajax striker, has paved the way for a move to Liverpool, The Mirror reports.

Anfield boss Kenny ­Dalglish is meeting owner John W Henry over the weekend to finalise plans for the final fortnight of the transfer ­window.

And the scene is set for the Uruguay international to ­arrive as Ryan Babel heads out of Merseyside with clubs in England and Germany ­pursuing him.

Suarez shares the same agent as Fernando Torres and has asked him to find out if clubs are interested in ­signing him this month. Liverpool and Tottenham lead the chase, but the ­Spanish-speaking connection at ­Anfield could prove a ­critical attraction.

Read more: Suarez ready to move

The striker has had a meeting with coach Frank de Boer and they accept the moment has arrived for the South ­American to move on if the Amsterdam club get an acceptable offer.

De Boer explained:

- I’ve had a showdown with Luis.

- I wanted to know what his plans are and what the future will bring. Luis is training hard. He told me that if a big club comes in for him now he is ready to talk to them.

And De Boer admitted:

- I’ve a back-up scenario ready.

Clearly, the critical issue will revolve around how much the Anfield owners make available to Dalglish, but Babel looks certain to leave for around £8m.

Fulham and West Ham from the Premier League have declared their interest.

Today Times writer Jonathan Northcroft claims that Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is close to the first 'real' signing of his second spell in charge at Anfield, with Liverpool tabling a bid for Mark van Bommel.

The paper says Liverpool are close to tabling a bid for van Bommel that meets Bayern Munich’s valuation of their defensive midfielder.

Van Bommel, the Holland captain, has been told he can leave Bayern for any club willing to pay €3m (£2.53m) for his services. Liverpool have made such an offer, although they face competition from AC Milan, who have also bid €3m.

A number of other clubs are interested in the 33-year-old but only Liverpool and their Italian rivals have come forward with solid bids.

Van Bommel has long spoken of his desire to play in England, although the lure of AC Milan, who unlike Liverpool can offer Champions League football, is considerable.

 Van Bommel has wanted to leave Bayern since the German giants refused his request for a new two-year contract earlier this season. He has just six months left on his current deal, hence his low price tag.

Another much reported target is Belgian teenage sensation Romelu Lukaku.

His club, Anderlecht have slapped a £25.2 million price tag on the player, the club's general manager has revealed.

In an exclusive interview with Goal.com UK, Herman van Holsbeeck claimed the 'top 15 clubs in the world' are monitoring the 17-year-old striker, with the queue headed by Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Anderlect say Lukaku will not be sold this month but are resigned to losing him in the summer when he will have turned 18 and finished his schooling.

Van Holsbeeck said:

- If there is a team coming with €20m (£16.9m) we will keep him. He has a contract until 2013 but we have the option for two more years.

- Our price will be around €30m (£25.3m). If you ask for between €20m and €30m for a footballer in Europe there are a maximum of 15 teams who can pay this amount. These 15 teams are all interested in Romelu Lukaku but it depends sometimes on what resources the team has at the time. Everybody knows Romelu and everybody wants Romelu but some teams don’t need him at the moment.

Finaly, of today's most important transfer rumours, according to The Daily Express, Liverpool are trying to tempt Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier to part with England winger Stewart Downing.

Kenny Dalglish believes Downing, 26, would give his side much-needed width and pace.

Dalglish’s predecessor, Roy Hodgson, had also been eyeing Villa’s Ashley Young, 25, but it’s Downing who is on a shortlist of possible Kop signings during the transfer window.

Liverpool believe Downing would come cheaper than his Villa Park team-mate at around £10 million.

Liverpool's top priority in January?

Liverpool haven't given up hope of Rafa Benitez returning to Anfield - but the Spaniard is said to be keeping a close eye on the manager job at Chelsea, if we are to believe The Daily Mail.

At the same time Roy Hodgson is the William Hill favourite to be the next Premier League managerial casualty following the Reds' latest defeat. It gives  an abysmal first half of the season, with the lowest tally at this stage of the season since 1953/54, when Don Welsh’s side was relegated.

Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge however has stated that he doesn’t want Kenny Dalglish to become manager of Liverpool again..

But who is to save Liverpool in the second half of the season??

Goal.com claims Aston Villa’s Ashley Young has become Liverpool’s top priority to sign in the winter transfer window. The proposed deal should cost the Merseysiders around £14m in fees, plus an alleged £75,000 per week in wages.

The 25 year old Englishman currently earns £65,000 weekly, and had refused to extend his contract with Villa Park which leads to the belief the club will be willing to sell him now to get some value on his contract that extends until the summer of 2012.

Former Liverpool and current Villa manager Gerard Houllier suggests it would take crazy money for him to sell, but club owner Randy Lerner hints the value of the player would go down as he continues to refuse to sign a new deal, thus cash now is the best option for the club.

Villa had been offered £20m by Tottenham for Young’s services last summer, but the club declined, and another delay would see his value taking another steep plunge.

Liverpool are also ready to sign winger Sylvain Marveaux from Rennes in an attempt to bring in some authentic wide men to the squad.

According to Liverpool Daily Post Damien Comolli appears set to make his first major signing since becoming director of football strategy at Anfield.

The paper claims the winger was in the crowd for the Wolves game and is thought ready to join Liverpool during the January transfer window if a fee can be agreed between the two clubs for the 24-year-old.

Another exciting player that is back on the radar is Milan’s Ronaldinho.

He is now being offered around to English clubs, including Liverpool, according to the Daily Mail.

The 30 year old is wanted by a number of Brazilian clubs including Gremio, Flamengo and Palmeiras but none of them can afford Milan’s asking price of £7million. As a result, Milan have resorted to offering the former World Player of the Year around Europe. Ronaldinho’s brother and agent Roberto de Assis has stated a move to another European club is still a possibility:

- There are many Brazilian clubs interested in Ronaldinho, but I won’t rule out a European move. It seems clear his time with the Rossoneri is at an end, he said.

Milan coach Massimo Allegri has not started Ronaldinho in the league since October and the player is out of contract in the summer.

Milan want to cash in on the player in January as they don’t want to lose him for nothing when his contract expires after paying £15million to Barcelona for the Brazilian three years ago. It is questionable whether Ronaldinho’s wages could be matched by all but the biggest clubs.

ELF Voetbal in Holland are reporting that Hamburg winger Eljero Elia’s representatives believe a move could be on the cards to Liverpool in the January transfer window. According to the report, they believe the move hinges on the Reds selling Ryan Babel.


Elia has been a long term target for Liverpool since his days at FC Twente, and despite Steve McClaren’s Wolfsburg seemingly favourites to land Elia, interest from the Reds has meant that the race for the Dutch international’s signature has become more open.

With a loan bid rejected by the Reds for Babel from Birmingham earlier this week, it remains uncertain whether the Hamburg star will get the opportunity to move to Anfield.

A name that keeps on being mentioned for the January transfer window is West Ham striker Carlton Cole.

Roy Hodgson confirmed watching and holding discussions about the seven-time England striker earlier this year and it is claimed that if the club's new owners New England Sports Ventures are willing to offer around £7 million then a deal could be reached to take the 27-year-old to Anfield, Sky Sports reports.

If the transfer was to be completed, it would likely prove as popular as the capture of maligned Paul Konchesky with Reds supporters, however it wouldn't be a huge shock if a move paid off.

Peter Crouch was a surprise hit after his unexpected arrival on Merseyside in 2005 despite a slow start and Hodgson also worked wonders on the last forward he signed from West Ham, the much-mocked Bobby Zamora.

Cole has endured a disappointing season so far though, scoring only five times - twice in the 3-1 win at Fulham on Boxing Day - and has at times struggled to hold down a place in the Irons team as they battle relegation, so a switch to Liverpool would baffle many observers.

According to Live4Liverpool Spanish radio station RAC-1 is reporting that both Liverpool and Chelsea are tracking Barcelona starlet Gerard Deulofeu.

The 16 year old has yet to turn professional at Barca and the youngster has offers from several English clubs including Liverpool, as well as from Real Madrid.

Deulofeu is a skilful winger and is said to have a bright future in the game. He is represented by Gines Carvajal who has close ties with both Liverpool and Real Madrid after dealing with both sides in transfer deals before.

RAC-1 however suggests that Carvajal would prefer Deulofeu to move to Madrid but it will be up to the player where he moves to.

Today's last roumour is that Liverpool target Gokhan Inler is set to leave Udinese - potentially in January.

The 26-year-old Swiss international holding midfielder has been monitored by a number of clubs after several consistent seasons in Serie 'A', and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is thought to be one of the parties monitoring the player.

- Gokhan will certainly change club in June, but it is not out of the question that it could happen in January. The lad has many offers from Spain and England, said his agent Dino Lamberti, according to GiveMeFootball.

Italian clubs are also thought to be keen on the player, but Liverpool have highlighted the player as a starter following the disappointing impact made by Christian Poulsen at Anfield.

The Italian side are thought to have valued the player in the region of €8.5 million, although Liverpool would certainly face stiff competition from a number of clubs if they wish to secure the player's signature in January.

Liverpool linked with big signings

It's only a few days left of the year, and the opening of this winters Silly Season. 

Now Liverpool is linked with two major signings in January...

The Sunday Telegraph say Liverpool are trying to put a deal together to sign reported Manchester City transfer target Edin Dzeko.

But the Reds will have concerns of being outbid by Manchester City for the Bosnia international.

Wolfsburg had hoped to keep Dzeko until the summer but after a poor start to the season under Steve McClaren - they are 13th in the Bundesliga and out of the cup - they are prepared to let their star player go.

Wolfsburg, who won the title in 2009 with Dzeko as top scorer, are open to Liverpool's suggestion of taking players in part-exchange, with Ryan Babel and Daniel Agger the German club's preferred options.

A less likely transfer to go through is being speculated on the Vital Liverpool Blog.

The blogger writes abot two photos posted on Twitpic and Yfrog, with old team mates Kun Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez, saying "Am I the only one who's thinking this really isn't that unlikely?"

Earlier in the week on his twitter feed Kun Aguero posted the two photos of him in Liverpool with his friend and current reds player Maxi Rodriguez.

Further on the blogger say there is many reasons Aguero would want to leave Atletico Madrid who won last season's Europa League to join a Liverpool team that's struggling a lot on the pitch.

But there are previous quotes from the Argentine that could put us on other thoughts...

In an interview with German TZ newspaper Aguero was quoted as saying: "If I had to choose a league then it would be the Premier League, I have been a Liverpool fan for as long as I can remember and it would be a dream to play there. I watched the Champions League final and celebrated every goal as if it was for Independiente," Aguero said.

An argument could be that Liverpool wouldn't be able to afford a player of his calibre; the again John Henry has recently spent $187m on two players for his Red Sox baseball team and Damien Comolli has sayd "If there's a possibility of us getting a world-class player, we will have the backing"...

Finaly, Liverpool are plotting a move for Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, according to Caughtoffside.

The Ghana international appears to be surplus to requirements at the San Siro and the Anfield boss is keen to bring the former Portsmouth man back to the Premier League to help the Merseyside club in their fight to save their season.

Muntari has started just one Serie A match this season and has been linked with a move away from the treble winners and the 26 year old may well be keen on a move back to England where arguably he has played the best football of his career.

Inter Milan paid Pompey £12.7m for Muntari in July 2008 but would reportedly accept around £10m for his services, a fee that Liverpool would surely be able to stump up thanks to the promised investment in new signings made by new owners NESV...

Babel and Kuyt in swap deal?

It has been a few very quiet days with no new transfer rumours surfacing on the radar, but with boxing day, and another postponed game, there is some new speculations on the horizon...

Liverpool are believed to have offered Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt to Inter in the hope of cutting a part-exchange deal to sign full-back Davide Santon.

Glen Johnson was previously reported to have been on his way out of the Anfield club owing to his exchanges with manager Roy Hodgson earlier in the season, and now the young Italian defender has been linked with a move to Merseyside.

The 19-year-old's agent had previously revealed exclusively to Goal.com UK that Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all interested in his client.

Now Itasportpress reports that the Reds had a bid of £8.5 million [€10m] kicked back, and have now offered to include Babel and Kuyt to fashion out a move, Goal.com report.

Among other things there is today again speculations to whom that might replace Roy Hodgson as Liverpool manager...

After parting ways with Rafael Benitez last summer Liverpool has begun the campaign in ignominious fashion, plunging into the relegation zone at one point, and endured something of a stop-start season up to now.

New England Sports Ventures - the owners of Liverpool - will reportedly allow Hodgson to remain in charge until the end of the season, when they would start searching for a new boss, Goal.com report.

Now the News of the World claims that Didier Deschamps is the top candidate to take the reins from the Anfield boss.

The Marseille manager is believed to have been previously interviewed as a replacement for Benitez, but was cast aside as Hodgson was favoured due to his prior experience in managing a Premier League club.

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.

Tre spillere linkes

To midtbanespillere og en spiss linkes til Liverpool, til tross for lite penger for Benitez i januar.

Med historiene om at Rafa Benitez antagelig har svært lite "nye" penger å handle for i januar har det vært stille på ryktefronten en tid. Men noen historier dukker likevel opp, med Ryan Babel og Andrea Dossena de to mest sannsynlige salgsobjektene. Nettstedet Givemefootball.com melder at Ajax er i ferd med å trappe opp jakten på å hente Babel tilbake til Nederland. Og Dossena kan i følge Goal.com være på vei tilbake til Italia og Napoli.

Det mest interessante ryktet, som er som et ekko fra i sommer, er at Rafael van der Vaart vil dra fra Real Madrid i jaunar.

GiveMeFootball melder at dette nå er bekreftet, og at han kan få dra for £13m.

Van der Vaart ble også i sommer satt i forbindelse med en overgang til Merseyside, uten at noe materialiserte seg, trolig på grunn av mangel på pund i Benitez' lommebok.

En annen spiller som linkes er den russiske spissen Roman Pavlyuchenko. Tottenham-spilleren skal i følge The Mirror være misfornøyd med lite spilletid, og det kan være aktuelt med et utlån til Liverpool.

Benitez skal se ham som et suplement til Torres i angrepet, men på grunn av begrensede midler vil det trolig være mer aktuelt med en låneavtale enn en permanent overgang foreløpig. Pavlyuchenko skal være desperat etter å finne seg en klubb med spilletid for ham, slik at han igjen kan bli aktuell for det russiske landslaget.

Den tredje spilleren som er på ryktebørsen akkurat nå er brasilianeren Hernanes (Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Andrade Lime). Midtbanespilleren har blitt linket fra Sao Paulo til italienske klubber som AC Milan og Juventus, men i følge TheNewFootballPools skal også Liverpool være interessert i den brasilianske landslagsspilleren.

Hernanes ble i januar satt på lista over verdens mest lovende fotballspillere, laget av The Times - forøvrig på en førsteplass. Avisa lurer på hvor lang tid det tar før han kommer til Europa og sammenlikner hans kvaliteter med Kaka!