Liverpool face competition from Serie A side Roma for the services of Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy according to talkSPORT.
The 25-year-old French international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium this summer after growing frustrated at a lack of trophy success.
Gunners’ boss Arsene Wenger is said to have told Clichy he is free to leave Arsenal if the right offer comes in, and Liverpool were the first club to show their interest with a reported offer of £5million.
Reds boss Kenny Dalglish is known to be in the market for a left-sided defender this summer, having deemed Paul Konchesky surplus to requirements at Anfield.
He instead opted to deploy an out of position Glen Johnson and 17-year-old academy graduate Jack Robinson in the left-back berth for much of the 2010/11 campaign.
But Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli has made a defensive acquisition in that position a top priority ahead of the new season. After completing the signing of Jordan Henderson last week, Comolli said:
"If a player is English, or British or has played in the Premier League, we'll look at that over someone abroad," and Clichy certainly fits the bill.
A mainstay in Arsenal's backline, Clichy has appeared in 153 out of a possible 190 Barclays Premier League games, and he also has vast experience of European football, having racked up 48 Champions League appearances since moving to the north London club in 2003.
But with just 12months to run on his existing Arsenal contract, Clichy has indicated he is unlikely to agree a new deal, so Wenger is looking to sell-up now rather than risk losing him for nothing next year.
Sources in Italy suggest that Roma are preparing an offer of £8million in the hope that it will be enough to activate negotiations before Liverpool themselves return with an improved bid.
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