Two fresh and one updated rumour

As Pepe Reina is rumoured to consider his club future in the summer, there is no shortage of rumours about players possibly on their way to anfield...

Alexandre Lacazette.

Liverpool is reportedly interested in Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette. 

According to GiveMeFootball Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool are all chasing the young French players signature.

Lacazette has impressed the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Cup over the Summer, and Tottenham are also reported to be interested in the young striker according to the French media.

Liverpool are the latest team to be put into the battle to attract Lacazette. The French media claim that Damien Commoli, Liverpool's new Director of Football strategy is believed to have ordered the Anfield scouts to keep a vigilant eye on the Frenchman.

Keisuke Honda.

An earlier linked player - Japanese attacking midfielder Keisuke Honda could be on his way to Anfield in January.


The CSKA Moscow player has been linked to a host of top European sides after a highly impressive World Cup but has stayed with CSKA Moscow for the start of this season.

Roy Hodgson is however planning to continue his overhaul of Liverpool’s playing staff, he is set to try and beat Arsenal and AC Milan to Honda’s signing, TalkSport reports.

According to sources in Russia Honda will be available for around £9 million, despite having three years left to run on the contract he signed with CSKA this time last year after signing from Dutch side VVV Venlo.

Javier Pastore.

Liverpool will have comepetition from Manchester United for the signature of Palermo’s Argentine Wonderkid Javier Pastore, FootballTransferTavern reports.

A host of top European clubs were linked with the attacking midfielder in 2009, but the lure of playing for Walter Zenga’s side proved too much at such a young age.

Although mostly introduced from the bench to start with. The youngster described as the new Zidane soon flourished with the arrival of Delio Rossi as Palermo’s head coach.

Only one season into his contract it seems he has done enough to convice the Premiership giants that he would be ready to cut his teeth alongside their biggest stars.

Unfortunately it looks like Palermo will do everything in their power to fend off approaches for their prized asset but with player power at an all time high will, Pastore himself have the last say in whether he lands in at Old Trafford or Anfield in the January or summer transfer windows.

Kranjcar back on the radar

Niko Kranjcar.

Roy Hodgson has repeated Liverpools need to strengthen the squad in the January Transfer window. And after a quiet transfer weekend there are more names on the rumour mill today.

Previously linked midfielder Niko Kranjcar is back on the radar.

Now he has admitted he may have to leave Tottenham and White Hart Lane if he continues to play a peripheral role for the North London Premier League club.

According to The Daily Mail his father has suggested he would relish the chance to play for Liverpool.

Aston Villa and Newcastle United are also interested in the Croatian international but although it appears the player has plenty of Premier League suitors, he admits in an ideal world he would remain at Spurs.

- I feel great at Tottenham, so if I could play regularly for my team, then my first option would be to stay at White Hart Lane. But if I don’t play much, then I will have to look for other solutions. Nobody wants to be a reserve and that goes for me too, he told the paper.

His father saying: - Niko would like to stay in London, but he is also ready to leave England if he could move to Serie A. Liverpool is a club which would interest him, but then again, why not Italy?

In addition, it also pops up a few new names today.

Matt Jarvis.

According to AnfieldTalk Roy Hodgson reportedly has an interest for Wolves highly rated winger Matt Jarvis.

The former Gillingham man has been in excellent form over the past 18 months and some sources believe that Jarvis may be about to be considered for an England call up, it is suggested.

The player is valued in the £8-10m bracket, and Jarvis would fit the bill when it comes to bringing in younger talents.

Urby Emanuelson.

Another new name is Ajax winger Urby Emanuelson.

There appears to be little doubt about it that the versatile winger is on his way out of Ajax after clubs from England, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain have shown an interest in signing the Dutch international.

According to a report in De Telegraaf Liverpool and Juventus are just two of the clubs that are closely monitoring the situation of the 24-year-old Emanuelson, but they're facing stiff competition in the race for the versatile player's services, Goal.com reports.

- There are plenty of interest clubs. I won't confirm or deny any names though. However, I've told interested teams that Urby won't leave Ajax during the winter transfer window, his agent was quoted as saying.

Dimitri Payet.

Another player who has been on the radar recently is St Etienne's Dimitri Payet.

Today the club have rejected claims that the young midfielder could be on his way to Liverpool in January.

St Etienne insist they have no plans to part with any of their players midway through the season and instead will be looking to bolster their squad.

- Liverpool have not contacted us, St Etienne co-president Roland Romeyer told France Football, SportingLife reports.

Russian striker linked

This sunday, awaiting Chelsea and Acelotti, the tabloid Sunday Express runs a story saying Steven Gerrard would have been sold this summer if NESV had taken over the club earlier.

This is of course rubbish, and John W. Henry has called it fiction reading on his Twitter account.

Otherwise it is so far a very quiet day when it comes to Liverpool transfer rumours. But one story has appeared.

Roy Hodgson has reportedly been promised £30million from new owners NESV to spend in 2011, Sky Sports writes.

Part of the cash promised Hodgson to spend in January’s transfer window will be splurged on Russian centre-forward Pavel Pogrebnyak, they report.

The former Zenit St. Petersburg target-man’s form has impressed since moving to Vfb Stuttgart, scoring 11 times in 35 appearances for Die Roten.

A potential stumbling block for the interests of Liverpool is the attitude of Stuttgart’s sporting director Fredi Bobic.  

- I have been listening to rumours that Liverpool and Tottenham have their eyes on Pavel. It is a fact. However, none of these clubs have been talking to us about him lately. He is a player of Vfb Stuttgart, Bobic told Bild, according to Sky Sports.

The French and Spanish connections

The day after owner John W. Henry says he wants more squad depth, and the day before Liverpool is facing this Premier League seasons biggest test so far, Damien Comolli is hoping to make an early impact.

The Daily Mail today reports that Liverpool wants to sign midfield prospect Dimitri Payet from under the noses of three other bidders.

Anfield's newly-appointed director of football strategy believes his St Etienne connections could give him a decisive edge over Napoli, Inter Milan and Aston Villa in the £7million battle to sign 23-year old Payet who was watched by Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson in September.

Payet is an attacking midfielder or winger and on the verge of breaking into the senior France side after catching Laurent Blanc's eye with seven goals in as many games this season. 

It has also put him in the frame for a January move to England or Italy, with Comolli, the former director of football at Tottenham and credited with unearthing some top youngsters, poised to win the race.

Partizan Belgrade star Cleo reportedly is linked with a move to Liverpool.

But according to Sky Sports the player admits he is in the dark about reports linking him with a move to Liverpool.

Reports have suggested the Reds are considering a move for the Brazilian striker as they bolster their attacking options in the January transfer window.

However, Cleo, who has scored against Arsenal in this season's Champions League, is not reading too much into the speculation.

- Liverpool? I heard something about this story... Well, I actually read about it on the internet. But nobody has talked with me about this. But of course in football you never know what tomorrow will bring to you, Cleo says Sky Sports reports.

Another exciting rumour that turns up is that Valencias Juan Mata is on top of Roy Hodgsons shopping list for January.

The Liverpool boss has already stated his intentions to sign 5 or 6 players and has the backing of the club’s new owners as he seeks to reverse the poor start to the season.

Mata left Real Madrid to join Valencia in March 2007 and initially found it hard to secure a regular first team spot but in the absence of the club’s two big name Spanish internationals he has hit a run of good form this season which has led many clubs to consider a move for the pint sized attacker.

Hodgson hopes to persuade Mata to join his national team colleagues Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina at Anfield and knows that he will have to dig deep to secure the £17m rated international, Caughtoffside writes.

The Liverpool manager is looking to add more creativity to his attacking third after finding goals hard to come by this season.

Juan Mata can play in a number of positions from an out and out striker to his more preferred position out wide on the left wing where he could help provide ammunition for the Merseyside club.

Another old rumour that resurface is about Lassana Diarra.

He is reportedly closer to a Real Madrid exit after appearing to be frozen out at the Bernabeu.

The French international's last action for Los Blancos came as a substitute against AC Milan a fortnight ago, and Diarra was left out of the squad completely for the return fixture in the Champions League on Wednesday, GiveMeFootball reports.

His brief cameo appearance suggests the player has fallen further down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is reportedly preparing to swoop for the player.

A player with Premier League experience after time with Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth, Real Madrid signed the player in 2009 for a fee in the region of £20m.

After just over a year, the asking price is now thought to be half with the La Liga side looking to sell after more 'mega-deals' this summer.

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.

Four players for January?

Today it is reported that former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez wants to sign his earlier pupil Lucas Leiva. The Daily Mail says Inter manager Benitez is hoping to shore up his midfield after being humiliated by Spurs.

However, in this blog we consentrate on players rumoured coming in.

One rumour that keeps coming back is that about Hodgson being ready to break the bank to sign Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente.

Manchester United and Manchester City have been linked with Llorente in recent weeks.However, Radio Cadena Ser says Hodgson, armed with cash from new club owners NESV, is willing to meet Llorente's €36 million buyout clause to bring the striker to Merseyside in January, TribalFootball reports.

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My personal opinion is that I don't think Hodgson will be given this kind of cash to sign one player. Llorente may be a quality player, but i do belive Hodgson and NESV will focus on younger and cheaper alternatives.

Yesterdays I reported on the new Director of Football Strategy being brought in - Damien Comolli.

He believes Tottenham will struggle to keep hold of talented Gareth Bale.

Comolli, who brought Bale to Spurs, suggested the club will have to battle to hold on to him.

- Spurs are desperate to hold on to Gareth but I know last summer there were big, big clubs sniffing around. If they are ambitious and want to do well in the future they have to keep hold of him and Champions League football should help them do that, he says according to Triballfootball.

Maybe a January transfer target for Liverpool?

The same Comolli could also be instrumental in bringin Saint-Etienne captain Blaise Matuidi to Liverpool, The Daily Mail suggests.

Comolli rates the tough-tackling France midfielder very highly and

along with Arsenal, Liverpool were already tracking the £7million-rated 23-year-old. But Comolli's arrival from the French club gives them the upper hand in prising one of France's most promising prospects from Ligue 1.

Comolli quit Saint-Etienne on Tuesday before his move to Liverpool was revealed. He fought hard to keep Matuidi at the French club but admitted that the lure of huge club would be hard to resist.

- I'm not being naive, I know it will be difficult to keep him and know he will end up in England or one of the top clubs in Europe. Whoever comes for him, it will cost them a lot of money, he said last month. 

Another new name this week is Preston North Ends defender Sean St Ledger.

Villa scouts have watched the Republic of Ireland international regularly while Liverpool assistant boss Sammy Lee has also run the rule over the 25-year-old, The Daily Mail reports.

St Ledger has recaptured his form and fitness after a difficult past 18 months where he saw a move to Middlesbrough collapse and tentative inquiries from Celtic come to nothing.

However, Preston are struggling to shed their debts and will be willing to listen to offers in January with an asking price of around £4million.

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.

City winger linked

Conflicting reports keeps on coming on what kind of transfer budget Roy Hodgson will be given for the January window.

On one hand there is The Daily Mail reporting that Hodgson must develop young players rather than splashing the cash on new faces. Other sources on the other hand says he will be given anything between £25m and £40m to update the Liverpool squad.

Anyway, with former Everton defender Alan Harper in a key role in the club's scouting department Liverpool is at the moment keeping a watchful eye over several players from both home and abroad.

Today The Daily Mirror is reporting that Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is a January Hodgson target.

The manager is said to be tracking the 29 year old and he could be available for £5m, according to the paper.

Wright-Phillips is available as he is in the last year of his contract and will be allowed to leave in January if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

Contract talks are said to have stalled with the England international as Wright-Phillips is not prepared to stay as a reserve as manager Roberto Mancini has dropped him to a bench since his arrival last year.

The Mirror believes that Wright-Phillips figures highly on the list of Roy Hodgson’s transfer targets and the City winger is prepared to leave Eastlands for the second time in search of first team football. 

A new name on the Liverpool transfer mary-go-round is Italian forward Antonio Cassano.

The former Roma forward appeared to have finally got his career back on track at Sampdoria before insulting president Ricardo Garrone in what was termed "gravely offensive and disrespectful behaviour", Sportsvibe reports.

Cassano was immediately suspended with rumours persisting that the Italian forward will have his contract terminated and could become a free agent. That has alerted a number of managers with Hodgson in particular keen to bring in reinforcements.

Liverpool do not have the resources to spend millions in the transfer window, the site claims, and Cassano could be a cheap and talented alternative.

A name tha re-appears is Oscar Cordozo.

The Benfica striker is a major target for Liverpool and the club are preparing a January move for the Paraguay international, according to Ultima Hora, TribalFootball reports.
 
Cardozo has shone since arriving in Lisbon from Newell's Old Boys three years ago, and has scored 81 goals in 135 games for the Aguias.

The centre-forward's physical frame would apparently make him a good foil for Reds ace Fernando Torres.

Liverpool want Real Madrid outcast?

In january the hunt for a new striker will probably be the most important for Roy Hodgson. But today Liverpool is also being linked a couple of midfielders.

Most important is the rumour of Liverpool being associated with a move for Real Madrid outcast Lassana Diarra. He is being tracked by four Premier League clubs after falling out of favour at Real Madrid this season, Talksport reports.

Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira have been manager Jose Mourinho's first-choice midfield partnership since the summer and Diarra has started only three of Madrid's 12 games so far under the Portuguese.

Now Aston Villa, Everton, Tottenham and Liverpool are all interested in bringing the France international back to England, according to reports in Spain.

However, it is thought Madrid president Florentino Perez wants to recoup at least half of the £20m fee he shelled out for the tenacious midfielder less than two years ago.

The other significant rumour of the day is that of earlier linked Standard Liege captain Steven Defour.

Todays report brought by Sport.co.uk says that seven clubs are interested in the player with Manchester United still firmly in the hunt for the 22-year-old.

Manchester United were confirmed as one of the seven clubs monitoring the player while Everton and Liverpool are also rumoured to have registered their interest in the player.

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

Being asked if a January move was a bit too soon to think about leaving Standard Liege. 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, the agent says. 

Finaly a new name appears. 

Liverpool is today being linked with a Russian striker. Apparently Roy Hodgson has set his sights on Stuttgart targetman Russian Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Despite Stuttart's poor start to the season Pogrebnyak has managed to net five goals in seven games. The rangy 6ft 3in striker could work well as a foil for Fernando Torres and help Liverpool become more of an attacking threat.

A move for the former Zenit St Petersburg man would set Liverpool back around £12m, Caughtoffside reports.