Kenny Dalglish Set To Swoop For Sunderland Pair But Alberto Aquilani Deal Flounders

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is considering bidding for Sunderland’s £10 million-rated midfielder Lee Cattermole.

Dalglish is keen to bolster his midfield with young English talent and is an admirer of both Cattermole and his Sunderland team-mate Jordan Henderson, who is valued at £14 million. He has made informal inquiries about Cattermole, 23, and is set to follow them up with an official offer.

But Alberto Aquilani’s disappointing move to Liverpool is set to cost the Anfield club a further £4.4 million later this month – 10 months after his return to Italy on a season-long loan to Juventus.

The 26 year-old, who has started just 14 games in all competitions for Liverpool since his £17.6 million arrival on a five-year contract from Roma in Aug 2009, could be forced to return to Anfield next month after Juventus failed to take up an option to seal a permanent £14 million deal for the midfielder.

Liverpool must pay the final £4.4 million instalment of the £17.6 million transfer fee to Roma by June 30, even though Aquilani, whose last appearance came in the Europa League qualifier against FK Rabotnick last August, does not figure in Dalglish’s plans.

The financial drain caused by the balance of Aquilani’s transfer, combined by the substantial wages of out-of-favour players such as Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic, Christian Poulsen, Emiliano Insua and Paul Konchesky, is unlikely to halt Dalglish’s pursuit of Cattermole and Henderson.

But further moves into the transfer market are likely to depend on how much Dalglish can trim from the club’s £120 million wage bill and generate by offloading those players viewed as surplus to requirements.

The financial black-hole surrounding Aquilani’s future is the most pressing at Anfield, however. The player has admitted his desire to remain in Italy, but despite interest from Juventus, AC Milan and Inter, Liverpool’s £14 million valuation is likely to prove prohibitive, with Juventus only prepared to offer £6 million for the player.

Liverpool, who is due to pay Roma five per cent of any money generated by Aquilani’s sale, could be forced to sell at a substantial loss or choose to loan him again next season, which is an unlikely option due to the prospect of his value diminishing further in 12 months’ time.

Aquilani’s agent, Franco Zavaglia, remains hopeful, however, that a deal can be struck between Liverpool and Juventus.

Zavaglia said: “All season, Juventus have given me the necessary guarantees that they want to keep Alberto.

“The next 24 hours will be decisive. Any eventual economic agreements will follow after Juventus make their decision.

“If Juventus can’t do a deal for Alberto and he has to return to Liverpool, then Milan would certainly be a destination that he would accept.”