Friday, March 04, 2011

Liverpool Ready To 'Enter Negotiations' For €9.3m Defender

A Liverpool bid for Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio is imminent, reports claim.

The Argentine is also an alleged target for Juventus after a number of imperious displays in La Liga this season and could be set to leave Estadio El Madrigal should the reported interest in his signature become serious.

Liverpool has seemingly been installed as one of the early frontrunners to sign the 20-year-old who has been linked with a move to Anfield for a number of weeks.

TalkSPORT now claims that Liverpool are poised to swoop for Musacchio - with a fee of around €9.3 million (£8 million) said to be enough for Villarreal to seriously entertain an offer.

Liverpool director of football strategy Damien Comolli will 'enter negotiations' with the Spanish club - according to talkSPORT - and the Reds appear to be confident of Musacchio moving to Anfield in June.

Musacchio is unlikely to be the only acquisition Liverpool make in the coming weeks and months with the Anfield club expected to sign a number of new recruits before the start of next season.

Liverpool Plot Shock €12m Madrid Starlet Raid

Liverpool are being linked with a move for Spanish starlet Sergio Canales.

The Real Madrid youngster is one of the players reportedly set for a Santiago Bernabeu exit, with Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish one of the managers keen to snap up the 20-year-old.

Florentino Perez, president of Los Blancos, is set to offload seven players this summer in an effort to create transfer funds for Jose Mourinho, according to Spanish publication. Canales is one of those set for an exit, according to the report.

Liverpool were thought to be in the race to sign the player last summer, but Canales decided to stay in his homeland and moved from Racing Santander to Madrid for €4.5 million plus clauses.

However, opportunities have been limited in the Spanish capital, and despite the player's young years he's thought to have grown frustrated by a lack of opportunities.

Sport.co.uk claim the player is now available for a fee in the region of €12 million, with Liverpool stated as one of the teams interested in bringing the player to the Barclays Premier League.

Arsenal is also thought to be interested in the player, and the Gunners were also linked with a move back in the summer.

Arsene Wenger is known for getting the best out of young talent at the Emirates, and would be keen to add the talented attacking midfielder to his Arsenal ranks.

Fran Merida, Cesc Fabregas and Ignasi Miquel are three examples of young Spaniards who have moved to Arsenal at a young age, with success at some levels for the trio in north London.

Liverpool will fight for the talent though, and showed in January that they have transfer money to spend thanks to the investment of new owners NESV.

Dalglish has hinted that he will spend again at the end of the season, and Canales fits the bill of young, attacking talent set out by the club's new board. A summer bid could be in the offing.

Liverpool Plan Move To Sign £12m Italian International Left Back

Liverpool is readying a move for Genoa’s highly rated defender Domenico Criscito, a player identified by director of football Damien Comolli, as the solution to the club’s left back problems. The 24 year old is now a regular part of the Italian national team set-up and the Anfield side hope to persuade the former Juventus man to move to Merseyside this summer.

In recent weeks Liverpool have taken to using Glen Johnson in an unaccustomed position on the left but an injury to Martin Kelly will see Kenny Dalglish’s side tested and their strength in depth brought into question. Emiliano Insua and Paul Konchesky are out on loan and are likely to be sold in the summer. Fabio Aurelio is therefore the back up alternative.

Liverpool are said to be interested in signing Benfica wide man Fabio Coentrao but reports suggest he may well be heading for a move to Real Madrid and a move for Criscito, though less high profile than a move for the much sought after Portuguese international, would be a wise one.

The £12m rated 6ft full back has been a consistent performer during his last two seasons at Genoa and is apparently a target for a number of Serie A sides keen on the defender who is also effective at centre back and in a more advanced left sided role.

Liverpool Plan To Sell £16m Flop Quartet This Summer

It appears that Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli are ready to swing the axe and rid the club of players that do not appear to have any hope of forging Anfield careers and as well as a potentially exit bound Danish international defensive midfielder the following look like they are unlikely to figure at the club next season.

Milan Jovanovic is attracting interest from the Bundesliga where the likes of Stuttgart and Wolfsburg are apparently keen on the Serbian international and indeed full back Philipp Degen, perhaps the most pointless Liverpool signing in some time, may well be moving to Stuttgart on a permanent basis, although a lot would depend on whether the German side were relegated.

Another full back set to leave is former Fulham man Paul Konchesky who is doing well on loan at Nottingham Forest and may well help Billy Davies side back into the top tier. The 29 year old failed to inspire much confidence during his time at Liverpool and his mother compounded that poor start by insulting the club’s supporters.

Kenny Dalglish will then look to re-invest the funds from these sales into improving a squad that at present has a fair few average performers who are probably not good enough for a club with top four pretensions.

Damien Comolli Identifies Bojan Krkic As Summer Target

Liverpool director of football strategy Damien Comolli has reportedly made Bojan Krkic his top summer target.

The Barcelona starlet is thought to be frustrated at a lack of first team opportunities at the Nou Camp, leading to speculation that he will make a move at the end of the season. Liverpool is one of the clubs linked with the paper.

Now, Spanish publication AS claims Comolli has made the Spanish international a 'top transfer priority', and the 20-year-old is reportedly keen on the idea of a move to Liverpool.

A striker who can also play in the wing positions, Bojan has rapidly risen through the ranks at the La Liga outfit, breaking goalscoring records for the junior side before impressing for the Catalan club's second string.

Becoming a regular for Pep Guardiola's senior side has been harder for the precocious talent, and word of his unhappiness has led to a number of clubs showing an interest in the player.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is keen to revamp his Reds squad at the first opportunity, and has hinted at a number of additions as he puts a stamp on the Anfield side.

NESV, the club's owners, spent heavily in January and are thought to have urged the club to sign young, attacking talent on Merseyside. Bojan fits the bill, and with Comolli showing his interest in a potential move, Liverpool could make an offer at the end of the season.

Anfield Midfielder Could Be Used As Part Of A Deal To Sign Udinese Star

Liverpool are just one of many clubs very keen on landing Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez who has been in incredible form this season, most recently scoring four away at Palermo on the weekend. It appears that the Serie A side is interested in defensive midfielder Christian Poulsen and that that interest could help the Anfield side land the 22 year old Chile international.

30 year old Danish international Poulsen got a lot of bad press during the Roy Hodgson era but the experienced former Juventus man has improved under Kenny Dalglish but is still seemingly a player the club can afford to lose and if in doing so they increase their chances of signing Sanchez then that will greatly interest the Merseyside club.

Poulsen is rated as being worth around £4m so clearly there is still a big financial undertaking needed by Liverpool to sign the Udinese star, perhaps they will accept other failing players? Maybe if they hand Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic, Paul Konchesky and Philipp Degen as part of the deal then no money would need change hands. We jest.

Sanchez is something of a cult hero at the Stadio Friuli and he is now in his third season in Italy and has improved year on year and has netted 11 goals and provided many assists to help Udinese move into fifth spot only a point away from a dream Champions League spot and one wonders if the club manages to pull off a top four finish, just how keen the former River Plate man will be to leave.

Liverpool Want Hugo Lloris If They Lose Pepe Reina

Liverpool have reportedly identified Hugo Lloris as the man to succeed Pepe Reina, should the latter leave Anfield in the summer.

The French goalkeeper has also previously been linked with a move to Manchester United as they look to fill the void that will be left when Edwin van der Sar retires at the end of the season.

United are also reportedly monitoring Reina and, according to the Telegraph, a bid in the region of £20 million would trigger a release clause in the Liverpool No.1's contract.

Arsenal also allegedly have Reina in their sights as they too pursue a new first choice stopper and Liverpool will seemingly have their work cut out to keep the 28-year-old.

Tribalfootball reports that - if Reina does leave Liverpool - the Anfield club will swoop for the £15 million-rated Lloris who has established himself as one of the most highly-regarded glovemen in Europe.

The 24-year-old Lyon vice-captain has admitted to being flattered by reports linking him to United and Liverpool and has since described a potential move to Old Trafford as a 'dream'.

"Manchester United is a great football club,” he told RMC.

“They are one of the most successful clubs in the world, so, of course, Manchester is one of the clubs that make me dream."

Despite claiming that a move to Old Trafford is at the back of his mind, Lloris says he will remain professional and endeavour to bring further success to Lyon.

"Manchester United? It is a great club but I cannot say anymore," he said, according to imscouting.com.

"We will wait and see what happens during the summer. I might play abroad but I do not know where.

"This is important for my progression as a professional. I know that big clubs are interested in me, but I am waiting to see what happens."

United have also been linked with a summer swoop for Schalke's Manuel Neuer, while it has been claimed that Liverpool are pursuing Blackburn star Paul Robinson.

Bruna On Target In Reds Defeat

Gerardo Bruna was on target as Liverpool Reserves went down to a 2-1 defeat at Blackpool on Thursday afternoon.

The diminutive attacker showed great awareness to level matters just shy of the hour mark after a Malaury Martin penalty had given the Seasiders a deserved first-half lead.

However, the Argentine then saw a tame spot-kick easily saved by Mark Halstead before the Tangerines' Belarusian striker Sergey Kornilenko snared all three points with a well-executed strike four minutes from time.

The result means John McMahon's side's 10 match unbeaten run has come to an end and they will now have to lift themselves again in time for next week's clash with West Brom.

The fervent support that has been a feature of Blackpool's impressive return to topflight football was conspicuous by its absence as the second-string encounter got underway at Bloomfield Road but the silence from the stands failed to affect the home team who made a supercharged start to the proceedings.

The lively Martin crashed a free-kick in a dangerous position into the Liverpool wall inside 60 seconds before Luke Varney saw a close range finish correctly chalked off for offside.

The inclusion of the frontman who struck Blackpool's famous winner at Anfield earlier in the season was a clear sign of the hosts' intent and after Tom Ince dragged wide from distance they took the lead on 26 minutes.

Conor Thomas was harshly adjudged to have pushed Kornilenko inside the six yard box leaving Martin to step up and coolly send Martin Hansen the wrong way from the penalty spot.

The Reds had offered very little as an attacking force at this point and the Seasiders should have doubled their lead just three minutes later but Kornilenko misfired when it seemed easier to score.

The home side continued to dictate the tempo of the game and Martin and Kornilenko both squandered presentable chances as the half came to a close.

Liverpool almost snatched an equalizer in the 45th minute but Nikola Saric mistimed his square pass after his clever run had sprung the offside trap.

McMahon would have demanded more from his charges in the second 45 but Blackpool maintained their dominance following the interval and Hansen showed good agility to tip over Matt Phillips' rasping shot.

Again, there had been very little sign of the visitors in the attacking third but they kept battling away and on 57 minutes they drew level.

Bruna capitalized upon a defensive mistake by Sala Sbai before showing good composure to round Mark Halstead and tap the ball into an empty net.

It seemed to spark renewed belief within the Liverpool ranks and Steven Irwin brought the best out of the Tangerines stopper with thunderous drive from distance.

At the other end, Kornilenko wasted another gilt-edged chance while Bruna should have doubled his tally when he crashed over the bar following superb build up play by Ince.

The Argentine was getting himself into some dangerous positions but once again the finish was lacking as he was brilliantly denied by Halstead at the far post.

With time running out both sides pushed for the winner and on 79 minutes Liverpool were gifted the opportunity to snatch the points.

Saric was brought crashing to the ground by Chris Basham but from the resulting penalty, Bruna saw his effort easily saved Halstead.

It proved to be a very costly miss too as Kornilenko raced onto a long ball, cut inside Emmanuel Mendy and fired past Hansen four minutes from time.