Friday, July 05, 2013

Deals For Williams & Sakho Unlikely

Despite continued speculation linking the Reds with Swansea's Ashley Williams, in particular, well placed sources suggest the club has moved onto other targets.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and Welsh defender Ashley Williams have been strongly connected with an Anfield reunion for some time but it appears the likelihood is beginning to fade.

Rodgers, who was manager at Swansea before moving to Liverpool last summer, is believed to have turned his attention to other options after his former employers put a £10million price tag on the 28-year-old's head.

The usually reliable Liverpool ECHO claim Williams is one of two defenders, the other being Frenchman Mamadou Sakho, who the Merseysiders are currently not pursuing despite national media reporting otherwise.

The latest round of 'Williams to Liverpool' speculation followed the centre-back's defensive colleague, Ben Davis, claiming the Wales captain was worth every penny of such a fee.

"Last season I would say Ash was one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League, I cannot think of many who were better than him. The job he did was incredible," praised Davis in quotes published by Sky Sports.

"A price of £10million or more to sign him is completely justified. You see some of the money that gets spent in this league on players who are unproven in the Premier League. I think £10million is more than a fair price."

Williams is contracted to Swansea until the summer of 2015 and the club are understandably keen to retain a player who has been a key component in their two impressive Premier League campaigns.

Arsenal is also believed to hold a firm interest in a defender who has been at the Liberty Stadium since a bargain £400k move from Stockport County in 2008.

Williams, the 2009 Wales Footballer of the Year, led the Swans to League Cup glory last season and has amassed 41 international caps to date.

Although it appears neither Williams or Sakho will be arriving at Anfield, Liverpool are still almost certainly on the look out for new defenders following Jamie Carragher's retirement and persisting doubts over the suitability of Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates.

Rodgers has already secured the free transfer signing of experienced centre-back Kolo Toure from Manchester City and is believed to retain an interest in Greek international Kyriakos Papadopoulos, although negotiations are believed to have stalled at this time, and Tiago Llori of Sporting Lisbon.

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