Liverpool To Sell Seven To Help Fund £30m Summer Spending Spree

Liverpool are preparing a clear-out as the Anfield side looks to generate funds for significant signings this summer. Kenny Daglish and director of football Damien Comolli have reportedly been considering which players in the club’s squad they are willing to offload and perhaps unsurprisingly a number of those are players brought in by Roy Hodgson.

Milan Jovanovic has failed to make an impact at the club and will be allowed to leave should a decent offer come in for the Serbian who is being chased by a string of Bundesliga sides. Philipp Degen is currently on loan at Stuttgart and the signs are that the Swiss international is unlikely to return to Liverpool.

Paul Konchesky has had a dire time at Liverpool and was sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest where he has proved a success and there is talk that Fulham may be interested in buying the 29 year old back and given that he cost the Merseyside club nothing in the first place it could take as little as £1.5m to take the defender back to Craven Cottage.

Christian Poulsen came in for a torrid time during the Hodgson reign and has barely featured since Kenny Dalglish arrived on the scene and the defensive midfielder will be offered at a reduced price of around £3-4m and there is reported interest from some Serie A sides including from Genoa and Cagliari.

Emiliano Insua is also very much up for sale and looked likely to join Fiorentina last summer until the deal stalled but a move to Florence may be back on although the Argentine may seek to stay at Galatasaray where he is currently in the middle of a loan spell.

Alberto Aquilani is having a great season at Juventus and has fought his way back into the Italian national team set-up but the Turin side are unwilling to pay the £15m that Liverpool are demanding, although the 26 year old has stated that he would be open to a return back to England the signs are that there are a number of other Serie A sides who may well be willing to pay the asking price.

Finally Joe Cole stands on something of a precipice. Dalglish is keen to give the former Chelsea man a chance to prove himself and the England international has not really had a run of games to show the Liverpool boss what he has to offer. There is apparently a queue of clubs who would jump at the chance to sign the attacking midfielder with West Ham and Everton apparently willing to take the 29 year old on if he is indeed offloaded.

City Winger Would 'Consider' Possible Liverpool Move

Manchester City winger Adam Johnson would consider a move from Eastlands, with Liverpool keen to sign the England international.

The 23-year-old has recently returned from a long-term ankle injury, but with high competition for places at City, will have few opportunities to impress.

Furthermore the former Middlesborough winger will be looking to get back in Fabio Capello's England squad, which he was left out of for the double header against Wales and Ghana, and Liverpool could offer a way out for Johnson.

"Every footballer has to think about it when the time comes. It is still early but I definitely would consider it," Johnson told the Sun.

Kenny Dalglish is expected to make a winger his top priority in the summer transfer window, as the Liverpool boss searches for a player a genuine crossing ability to provide service to new signing Andy Carroll.

Liverpool's search for a winger has seen them linked with Ashley Young, Charlie Adam and Eden Hazard, but with Johnson deprived of first-team football at City, unlike the aforementioned trio at their respective clubs, the Englishman could soon be on his way to Anfield.

Star Centre Back Open To Liverpool Deal

Werder Bremen have indicated they are willing to sell German star Per Mertesacker in the summer transfer period, with the center back reportedly considering and offer from Liverpool.

The Liverpool website is reporting that Mertesacker is out of contract in 2012, and Werder Bremen are looking at this summer as a good opportunity to sell the 26 year old for a large amount of money.

Mertesacker has openly discussed a desire to move from German football to the Barclays Premier League.

And in a large indication that Mertesacker has an agreement forming to leave Werder Bremen and possibly head to Liverpool, Bremen boss Klaus Allofs has told BILD they are looking at offers.

"If you are not going to hand out an extension to an outrunning contract then you need to know all the possibilities available to you,” he said.

"I am unable to just look after the money, I am also unable to just look after the sport factor.

"As soon as we are aware of our fate in Bundesliga this spring, we are going to clarify if we are able to sign extensions to these contracts."

Werder Bremen currently sits at 12th on the Bundesliga table, and are only five points shy of the relegation zone. Should Bremen be relegated, Mertesacker will be far more likely to come around to the prospect of heading to England for Liverpool, who may be able to offer games in Europe if they qualify this season.

Allofs knows that discussions will be taking place about the centre back’s future, and that should Liverpool come knocking in summer, their budget will be hard to refuse.

"We will be in talks, that is for sure,” he said.

Liverpool Enter Race For £22m Brazilian Star

Liverpool will challenge fellow Premiership rivals Chelsea and La Liga giants Barcelona for the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk's Willian according to reports in the Daily Mail.

The Brazilian midfielder has caught the attention of a number of top clubs around Europe after some impressive performances in this season’s Champions League.

Since Willian moved to the Ukrainian side from Corinthians in 2007 he has made 136 appearances and scored 20 times in all competitions and this season the midfielder has made 17 appearances and netted four times.

His performances have but him on Liverpool's radar with director of football Damien Comolli keen to bring the 22-year-old to Anfield in the summer and the club has already spoken to Shakhtar about the player.

The Merseyside club is currently sixth in the Premier League and is looking to get back into the coveted Champions League places.

Having already acquired the services of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez after a £57million spend spree on the last day of the January transfer window, Kop boss Kenny Dalglish is set to add further additions to his squad in the summer with Willian high on the list.

Shakhtar take on Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday and Liverpool scouts will be out in Barcelona watching the Brazilian's performance.

The Ukrainian side won't be letting one of their star players leave on the cheap and will be looking for around £22m for the player but could make more with a bidding war between the three interest clubs.

Real Sociedad's Xabi Prieto Dismisses Liverpool Link

Real Sociedad midfielder Xabi Prieto has rubbished reports that he could be on his way to Liverpool in the summer for as much as £10 million.

The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with the Basque side and apparently has no desire to make a move away from a club that he holds dear to his heart.

He told the Spanish newspaper AS: "There is nothing to what has been published.

"Liverpool is a very good team, but I've always said I'm happy here."

Prieto has never appeared for the full Spanish national team, but did turn out for the under-21 side earlier in his career.

Dalglish Cautious Over Gerrard Return

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has revealed Steven Gerrard has almost completed his recovery after groin surgery, but he will wait and see whether the club captain will face West Brom on Saturday.

Dalglish believes Gerrard could play in the match after participating in much of training this week, but will not take any risks - as he believes there are players in the squad more than capable of deputizing for at least another week.

"We'll have a look. He's recovered really well from the surgery he had so we'll see how he is before we decide whether he's in or out," Dalglish said. "He's certainly done a lot of training this week - not all the training the other lads have done, but a lot of it.

"But two weekends ago at Sunderland wee Jay [Spearing] played really well. There is no need for us to be in a rush to bring Steven back."

Dalglish was relieved to see all his players return from international duty without picking up injuries. However, he did reveal Martin Kelly and Fabio Aurelio have suffered slight setbacks that could well keep them out of action at the weekend.

"Everyone has come back from international matches okay," Dalglish said. "Martin Kelly picked up an injury while he was trying to recuperate and Jonjo Shelvey is back training. Kelly has just had a wee recurrence in the same area. Fabio Aurelio has had a setback as well but it isn't the same injury. He should be training before the end of the week."

Club record signing Andy Carroll opened his goalscoring account for England in midweek, an achievement Dalglish believes the 22-year-old can rightfully be proud of. The Scot also paid tribute to Fabio Capello's handling of the Liverpool players he picked for both of the Three Lions' games.

"It's a great milestone for Andy to score his first goal, especially at Wembley," he said. "It's a great reward for him as well after his recuperation. It will give him a lift, kick him on further and it's a great reflection of how he's got on with his work and how our medical team has worked to get him there.

"The 60 minutes he got for England was very helpful in his recuperation and his fight to get back to full fitness. The way England treated our players was fantastic: the way they gave Andy the hour because they knew it wouldn't be beneficial to play him longer, and the way they gave Glen Johnson 45 minutes because he had a slight problem with his Achilles. They were very professional and respectful with the way they treated both of our players."

Dalglish admitted Liverpool are still working out how best to utilise Carroll tactically - especially the frequency of long balls played up to him.

"Sometimes when you're struggling a wee bit it's a great asset to have but we've got to pick and choose our moments," he noted. "It's up to us to get to know Andy, and Andy to get to know us. I don't think we've done too badly in the game and a bit he's played for us. We were better the second time than we were the first.

"We've got intelligent lads here and I'm sure they'll work out when's right and when's wrong and they'll get it right most of the time."

Dalglish Defends Carroll

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has laughed off claims Andy Carroll needs to control his drinking habits and says the player knows how to handle himself.

England boss Fabio Capello publicly warned Carroll, who scored his first goal for the Three Lions in the draw with Ghana, to cut down on his drinking.

Dalglish has brushed off the advice from Capello and defended the January signing from Newcastle for the way he has conducted himself since arriving at Anfield.

"Well he's never bought me a drink," said Dalglish. "I've been with him at Boyzone concerts and he's still never bought me a drink!

"Andy Carroll knows what is required of Andy Carroll, and he's done fantastically well getting back to where he has, with his application and dedication.

"Whatever Andy has done, he has done it very well, and somebody else's opinion is up to them. But he cannot be criticized in any way, shape or form for what he has done since he has been here.

"He's done really well to get where he is, so I think Andy is focused on his football."

England Joy For Sterling

There was joy for Raheem Sterling and Brad Smith as they helped England reach the finals of the UEFA U17 Championships after a brilliant 2-1 win over Spain on Thursday night.

The Academy duo played the full 90 minutes, while teammates Adam Morgan and Matty Regan were unused substitutes.

Spain only needed a point to secure qualification, but needing a victory John Peacock's side rose to the occasion and got the vital win.

Nathan Redmond and Adam Jackson netted for England but Sterling and Smith were impressive throughout the game.

England will now join seven other countries, split over two groups of four, in the Finals in Serbia.

The top three countries in each group will then go on to qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup which is being held in Mexico later this year.

It is a great end to a fantastic week for the Academy's starlets after David Moli was earlier on the mark for England U16s as they beat Scotland 2-1 to clinch the Victory Shield.

Moli netted past his Liverpool Academy teammate Ryan Crump who was in goal for Scotland.

Standard Chartered Want Asian Stars At Anfield

Liverpool shirt sponsors Standard Chartered are hoping the club signs up an Asian star to boost commercial opportunities in the Far East.

Gavin Laws, head of corporate affairs at Standard Chartered, hailed the impact of Manchester United’s South Korean international Park Ji-sung in the region and believes signing a similar talent would be an ideal way for the Reds to connect with the Asian market.

“The real power for what Liverpool could do for us, and I think for the English Premier League, is if there was a way they could nurture foreign players from Asia ... a great Asian player - you see what Park Ji-sung does for Manchester United,” he said.

“The markets in Asia and the Middle East are so nationalistic, they are very proud about their countries. One appearance from a player, say from Dubai in the Premier League, and you’d have the whole of Dubai watching it.”

Laws wants to see Kenny Dalglish signed up as the Reds’ permanent manager.

He said: “I’d like to see Kenny as the long term manager - I’m sure the club would. They are going to be talking to him if they aren’t talking to him already.

“The Kenny magic is all around the world, everybody believes Kenny can take the club (forward) and that means they stay focused and that means they stay in the newspapers around the world... we are looking for brand awareness.”

Liverpool Actively Seeking Stadium Naming Rights Deal

Liverpool's newly-appointed managing director Ian Ayre has revealed the club are actively seeking stadium naming rights partners should they move to a new stadium.

The club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, have made clear that boosting Liverpool's gate receipts through an increased capacity is central to their plans to restore the side to former glories. They have yet to make any official decision on whether that will be achieved through building a new stadium or redeveloping their current home.

Speaking at the SoccerEx forum in Manchester today, Ayre said the club is seeking naming rights partners should they move to a new stadium. However, the club is keen to stress that their current home would not be renamed should they stay put.

Arsenal earned £100 million for a 15-year naming rights deal with the airline Emirates, though that also included an eight-year shirt sponsorship clause.

Liverpool see the sphere as one the club needs to exploit if they are to make ground on Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in terms of off-pitch income.

Reds Face Battle For Striker Signature

Tottenham have jumped ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool in the race to sign Ipswich striker Conner Wickham who is valued at around £15m.

The 18-year-old has attracted attention from many of the big clubs, and the Reds were thought to be the favourites for his signature but the arrival of Andy Carroll at Anfield appears to have cooled their interest.

Harry Redknapp is now ready to nip in and land the striker beating off interest from Arsenal and Manchester United in the process.

Spurs are aided by the fact that assistant academy boss Bryan Klug knows Wickham from his days at Portman Road and the player himself has already stated he wants to play at the highest level and apparently expects to be moving in the summer.

Liverpool Reportedly In Negotiations With PSV Eindhoven For Ola Toivonen

Liverpool representatives have reportedly met with PSV Eindhoven to discuss a deal for Ola Toivonen, according to reports.

The Swedish international forward was heavily linked with an Anfield move back in the summer, and was again thought to be on the radar of the Merseysiders in January.

Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have also taken an interest in the past, according to reports, but it's Liverpool who is now thought to be in pole position to land the player.

The Metro claims Liverpool are looking to 'thrash out a deal' for the 24-year-old, who can also play in an attacking midfield position.

Toivonen began his career with Degerfors before moving to Örgryte and then Malmo. Two years later, a transfer fee in the region of €4.5 million was paid by the Eredivisie side to bring the player to Holland, and the striker has flourished at the Phillips Stadium.

With 13 goals so far this season, the player's stock continues to rise and the rumours have re-surfaced that the Reds are once again interested in a move.

Kenny Dalglish has hinted at a number of personnel changes at Liverpool this summer, with another striker thought to be on the agenda despite spending in excess of £55 million on Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez in the last transfer window.

Whilst a left back and winger are the reported priority, Fenway Sports Group have vowed to back the Liverpool boss financially should he stay on permanently and Toivonen could be one of the players on the wishlist.

Lucas Leiva Agrees New Deal To Keep Him At Anfield Until 2015

Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva has put an end to any doubts over his Liverpool future by signing a new, long-term contract that will keep him at Anfield until 2015.

The 24 year-old has emerged over the last two years as one of the club’s most improved players and the club’s newly-appointed director of football, Damien Comolli, revealed that tying him to a long-term deal was a priority after his arrival on Merseyside last year.

The former Gremio player had made no secret of his desire to extend his stay at the club, despite facing fierce criticism for his early displays, and manager Kenny Dalglish admitted on Wednesday that the affection was mutual.

“He is happy to be here and to be playing for the club,” said the Scot.

“He is getting everything he deserves at the moment, including being a fixture in the Brazilian team, because of how he has performed on the pitch.

''Certainly since I came in he has been a great asset to the team and has done tremendously well.

''We're delighted for him because he's a really honest, genuine fella and that's reflected in the way he plays.

Lucas, after struggling more than most during Liverpool's slump in form last season believes the club can now start to look forward to regaining their place among Europe's elite.

''Everyone wants to be in the Champions League again and to win titles,'' he said.

''That is what Liverpool is about. The way everything is going I think it will be a very good next few seasons.

''We have some new players who have come here and that shows we are moving in the right direction.

''I am pleased with the way Liverpool tried to keep me and now I want to keep doing my best for them.

''For me it was an easy decision because I know how big Liverpool are and I can see Liverpool are committed to me and are planning for a future with me.

''I don't think people thought I could stay here for so long, but now I want to just keep on improving.''

Ian Ayre: New Uefa Rules On Spending Should Be Hard And Fast

Uefa’s new financial fair play rules will be ‘killed’ if they are not applied equally across Europe, according to Liverpool’s incoming managing director Ian Ayre.

Ayre, who also confirmed Liverpool are pursuing naming rights for any new stadium, is concerned there will not be a level playing field when the rules come into force in 2014.

The regulations will ban clubs from European competition if they spend more than they earn, but the rules will initially be enforced by national associations and leagues.

Ayre says Liverpool’s recent takeover by American John Henry has cleared most of their debt so the club would comply with the regulations.

But he said: ‘These rules should be rules and should be hard and fast.

'What will kill the initiative or certainly stifle it is people easing themselves into it rather than the rules applying and everyone operating within them.

'You cannot have a half-rule process.

‘We see it as a positive step but the reservations around it are how it will be applied.

‘Will people be given grace periods, will sanctions be applied?

‘If it is not managed well, we would all question the outcome of it.’

Uefa’s head of club licensing Andrea Traverso said the rules were ‘a sort of soft salary cap’ and insisted they would be overseen by an independent panel to ensure it was being applied fairly.

Alberto Aquilani Open To Liverpool Return

Alberto Aquilani believes that the Premier League is the best domestic league in the world and is open to a return to Liverpool when his loan period with Juventus ends at the end of the season.

The 26-year-old joined the English giants in the summer of 2009 from Roma but after a disappointing time at Anfield came back to Italy, this time to play for Juventus on loan for the 2010-11 campaign.

Aquilani has improved in Turin and regained his fitness levels, but his future beyond the summer remains unclear. Juventus are having yet another disappointing campaign and are likely to make changes at the end of the season, meaning that a number of players’ futures are uncertain.

Juventus will also have to pay Liverpool £14 million to make Aquilani’s deal permanent and there has been no concrete indication from the Italian giants that they will do so.

Aquilani, though, is not hell bent on staying in Italy and is open to a return to Liverpool to play “in the best league in the world.”

"The future? I'm at Juve, but I don't know what will happen,” the Italy international told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I'm on loan and if I'm not retained I'd go back to Liverpool in the best league in the world. We'll see."

Aquilani is also coy about going back to his old club Roma and reveals that he is following the ownership changes at the Lupi.

"It is a delicate question,” said the midfielder. “I would do, but I think it will be difficult. As a fan I'm curious to see what happens, especially if they begin to buy players and to revolutionize the team."

Aquilani’s agent Franco Zavaglia is also keeping all options open and has reiterated that the ball is in Juventus’ court.

“I have been saying the same thing for months and it is the only truth, regardless of what the newspapers say,” he told Tuttomercatoweb. “Last year, when the transfer was set out and Juve were happy to accept this deal, there were commitments made with written clauses.

“If the Bianconeri respect these agreements, then fine, otherwise he will have to return to Liverpool. It is up to the Juventus directors to decide.”

Aquilani has been a regular for Juventus this season and has made 26 appearances in Serie A, scoring twice and providing three assists.

Christian Poulsen Desperate To Depart Liverpool

Christian Poulsen is desperate to quit Liverpool this summer after being warned his international career could be over if he remains on the fringes at Anfield.

Despite being captain of Denmark, the out-of-favour Liverpool midfielder was left on the bench on Tuesday night and given a blunt message by national coach Morten Olsen.

The 61-year-old said: 'I don't know if he is going to get in the Liverpool team during the remainder of this season, but if he isn't, he will not be in my squad for the Euro qualifying game against Iceland on June 4.'

Poulsen has struggled to win over Liverpool fans since being signed by former manager Roy Hodgson at the start of the season.

While there is interest in Poulsen in Italy and Spain, he could remain in the Barclays Premier League by linking up again with Hodgson at West Brom.

Lawyers For Thomas DiBenedetto Confirm There Is No Conflict Of Interest With Liverpool In Roma Takeover

Thomas DiBenedetto will assume control of Roma as agreed, as lawyers working in relation to the takeover confirm there is no conflict of interest with Liverpool.

On Wednesday, The Guardian reported DiBenedetto's assets in New England Sports Ventures - the company that owns Liverpool - could jeopardize the takeover as it reportedly breached UEFA rules which state it's forbidden for "persons or clubs to control or influence more than one club registered for European competition".

However, the legal team working on the takeover, which is expected to be completed in three weeks, have said there is no conflict of interest.

Speaking to the Ansa press agency, a legal team representative said: "There is no case in relation to UEFA's article three of their regulations, and there is no conflict of interest in relation to the Roma takeover."

It follows yesterday's statement which confirmed DiBenedetto had agreed to purchase Roma from their holding company Italpetroli.

The statement said: "Italpetroli S.p.a., UniCredit S.p.a. and Di Benedetto AS Roma LLC announce that negotiations in Rome over the past few days have reached a basic agreement to buy up control of AS Roma S.p.a.

"Based on this agreement, the buy-out should be completed by a company made up of 60% Di Benedetto AS Roma LLC and 40% UniCredit S.p.a.

"There is also an option for UniCredit to sell their shares to other strategic Italian investors.

"Over the next few days we will proceed to write out the definitive versions of the agreements reached today, which also include commitments for the reinforcement and future development of AS Roma."

Roma will become the first Italian club to come under foreign ownership once the takeover is complete.

Liverpool Monitoring Renato Augusto, Reports Claim

Liverpool is reportedly interested in Bayer Leverkusen attacker Renato Augusto.

The Brazil international has been compared to compatriot Ronaldinho and has been lighting up the Bundesliga with a series of cultured displays.

According to sources in Germany - as rehashed by tribalfootball.com - Liverpool is one of a number of clubs monitoring the 23-year-old, who is said to be keen on a move to the Barclays Premier League.

Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli is allegedly an admirer of the versatile forward and the former Flamengo star could provide the Anfield club with extra dynamism in attack.

Comolli is understood to be monitoring a number of potential goalscoring acquisitions and Liverpool is to invest heavily in their playing squad again when the transfer window reopens.

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group made their mark on the transfer window in January when £58 million was spent to capture Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez and a busy summer at Anfield awaits.

Liverpool Winger Ince Wanted At Juventus

Liverpool winger Thomas Ince is a target for Juventus.

Ince, the son of former Liverpool and Inter Milan midfielder Paul Ince, is off contract in June and yet to settle on new terms with the Reds.

Tuttosport says Juventus are aware of Ince's situation and are monitoring developments closely.

Juventus’ General Manager Beppe Marotta is well aware of Ince's talents and confident he can settle quickly in Turin after his time in Italy as a child.

Mihaylov: Reina Wants To Leave

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov has claimed Pepe Reina has wanted to leave the club for "one or two years".

Bulgaria international Mihaylov, 22, was signed by the Reds in 2007 and loaned out to FC Twente in a bid to secure a work permit.

He has since joined Twente on a permanent deal but, as he has now become a regular for his country, he has claimed Liverpool retain an option to take him back to Anfield.

"Liverpool is a huge club," he told Darik Radio. "It wasn't possible to get a work visa when I went there but now there'll be no such problems because I'm playing regularly in the national team."

Asked about Liverpool's option to re-sign him, Mihaylov said: "I think it's absolutely real. The option was made when Rafa Benitez was in charge."

Mihaylov believes Liverpool will be in need of a new goalkeeper in the near future as Reina has a desire to return to his home country.

"I know from my agent Pepe Reina wants to go back to Spain," he said. "His desire dates back one or two years.

"It's not difficult to see this. I know him well - he's one of the best 'keeper in the world but his current form is not as it should be in a club like Liverpool."