FA Cup Final Preview: Liverpool vs Chelsea

Liverpool return to Wembley with their sights set on a cup double, while victory for Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final could be the first stage of a more significant success.

Kenny Dalglish's side lifted the Carling Cup at the home of English football back in February with a tense penalty shoot-out success against Championship side Cardiff.

But while the Reds have emerged as the knockout specialists this term, their Premier League form has been vastly below expectations and they are currently 16 points adrift of the top four and a staggering 34 off the summit.

That has led to rumblings of discontent among sections of the Merseyside faithful, with an on-going debate over whether lifting the FA Cup for the first time since 2006 to sit alongside the League Cup in the Anfield trophy room would mark this campaign as a success.

Such conjecture only serves to reinforce Dalglish's assertion earlier this week that Premier League placings have become 'an obsession' for many teams because of the financial rewards on offer for the clubs who qualify for the Champions League.

And for Chelsea to ensure that they compete among Europe's elite for a 10th successive season, then the most realistic route is for them to qualify as winners by defeating Bayern Munich on 19th May at the Allianz Arena.

Wednesday night's home defeat at the hands of Newcastle means Roberto Di Matteo's side are now four points adrift of the Magpies and fourth-placed Tottenham with just two games remaining, with their interim manager admitting that door to Europe now appears locked.

But such has been the upturn in fortunes at Stamford Bridge under their former midfield favourite, who scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history in the 1997 triumph against Middlesbrough, few will be critical of the Italian even if the Blues finish the season empty-handed.

Appointed on an interim basis until the end of the season following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas in early March, Di Matteo has galvanized a squad who looked bereft of confidence and direction, with their place in the UEFA Champions League final secured with a memorable triumph over Barcelona.

Both teams go into the showpiece on the back of midweek defeats, but Dalglish and Di Matteo opted to make a significant number of changes for their respective home reverses at the hands of Fulham and Newcastle.

Key men Pepe Reina, Steven Gerrard and Luiz Suarez were just three of nine changes for the lacklustre setback against the Cottagers and are certain to take their place in the starting XI this weekend.

Andy Carroll, the Reds' semi-final hero after his late winner against Everton, played the full 90 minutes in midweek having missed the resounding success against Norwich with a slight injury concern and should partner Suarez.

Di Matteo's selection policy with the Champions League final on the horizon is eased somewhat with John Terry, Ramires, Raul Meireles and Branislav Ivanovic all ruled out of the Munich meeting through suspension, so that quartet can expect to start on Saturday.

David Luiz and Gary Cahill, who missed training on Friday, have not featured since suffering respective hamstring injuries against Tottenham and Barcelona, and with the duo required on 19th May due to the aforementioned absentees it appears certain Di Matteo will not to rush them back into action.

Fernando Torres hit a hat-trick against QPR and also started the midweek clash with Newcastle, but is likely to be back on the bench with Didier Drogba often regarded as the man for the big occasion, with the Ivory Coast international having scored seven goals in seven Wembley outings in the FA Cup and League Cup.

Possible starting XIs:

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Ramires, Meireles, Mata, Drogba, Sturridge.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Downing, Henderson, Gerrard, Spearing, Carroll, Suarez.

Gerrard On Rescue Mission

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is determined to win the FA Cup in order to save his club's season.

The Anfield outfit was expected to at least challenge for a top-four place in the Premier League this season but have fallen well short.

However, having won the Carling Cup in February - their first trophy for six years - another piece of silverware when taking on Chelsea at Wembley in Saturday's FA Cup final would provide adequate compensation.

"Winning big trophies breeds a lot of confidence and belief," said Gerrard.

"We are all aware we have underachieved in the league and the squad of players we have are certainly better than where we are.

"We will assess the season at the end but if we can win two trophies that will help us bring some success next season.

"I think people will judge us after Saturday. People will say, 'You didn't do well in the league' but we will say, 'We won two cups' and I think that is a fair argument."

Gerrard does not believe Chelsea will be distracted by thoughts of the UEFA Champions League when they walk out at Wembley.

The Stamford Bridge side face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena later in May as they bid to win Europe's top club prize for the first time.

In addition, they are also looking to secure a top-four Premier League place which will gain them re-entry to the competition next season regardless of the result in Germany.

And although their task was made more difficult by Wednesday night's defeat at home to top-four rivals Newcastle, Gerrard expects Roberto Di Matteo's side to be focused at Wembley.

"I am sure the Chelsea players won't be thinking about the Champions League and top four once that game kicks off at the weekend," said the England international.

"Chelsea is an experienced team full of quality players and it will boil down to the small details on the day, who gets the big decisions and who gets that stroke of luck.

"I don't think there is much between the teams and I think it is a 50-50 game at the weekend.

"But I suppose it helps us, because that we can't do much in the league and have not got anything else going on so we can solely focus on this game."

Liverpool To Compete With Napoli For Uruguayan Midfielder

It appears as though Liverpool will face some competition for the signature of Bologna midfielder Gaston Ramirez after it was revealed that Napoli are interested in signing the Uruguayan.

The Daily Mail reported last week that Liverpool had bid £16.3million for Ramirez who has scored eight league goals in 32 appearances in Serie A this season

Ramirez only recently signed a new long term deal with the Italian side but it seems they may be willing to listen to offers for a player who has impressed in an underachieving side.

While Liverpool are seemingly interested, the Bologna vice president Maurizio Setti has confirmed that Napoli are also chasing the midfielder.

“The player is being followed by a lot of clubs, including Napoli,” Setti told Radio CRC on Wednesday, as reported on Football Italia.

“There is nothing of substance yet, but he has a number of offers and a lot of scouts come to watch him play. Ramirez is a player who can make the difference for any team in the world because he is a champion.

“Like all Uruguayans, who are well suited to Italian football, he will improve season after season.”

The 21-year-old has been capped nine times by Uruguay and could join international teammates should he decide to move to either Liverpool or Napoli.

Napoli has Edinson Cavanni, while Liverpool boast their own Urugayan striker in Luis Suarez, as well as central defender Sebastian Coates who played with Ramirez at youth level.

Liverpool Linked With Dempsey

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has hinted at an interest in Fulham star Clint Dempsey.

The Anfield hierarchy normally keep transfer targets as confidential, but Werner has implied the club could be watching his fellow American.

Dempsey has scored 22 goals this season and, with just one year remaining on his contract, has also been linked with a move to Fulham's London rivals, Arsenal.

FA Cup finalists and Carling Cup winners Liverpool are expected to make changes to their squad this summer after an extremely disappointing Premier League campaign.

This would come after spending more than £80million on the likes of Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam in the last close-season.

"We never talk publicly about transfer targets, however, any team would be lucky to have Clint Dempsey playing on their squad," said Werner.

Fulham, though, will fight to keep hold of Dempsey and manager Martin Jol has previously insisted the USA international is not for sale ahead of summer talks with the player over a possible contract extension.

Regarding the prospects of keeping Dempsey at Craven Cottage, Jol told Sky Sports in April: "Hopefully we will, because he's still here for next season as well. So we won't sell him, so that is easy."

Liverpool Eye Up Nigel De Jong

Liverpool are eying up a summer bid for Manchester City’s Nigel De Jong, according to this afternoon’s reports.

Reports leaving Anfield this evening suggest that Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is set to test Manchester City’s resolve by tabling a summer bid for midfielder Nigel De Jong.

The Merseyside club has endured one of their worst Premier League campaigns do date, currently sitting eighth in the table – three points behind bitter rivals Everton.

Dalglish spent big in last summer’s transfer window and is yet to reap in the rewards; with signings Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam all so far failing to make the grade at Anfield.

However, the Liverpool board have told Dalglish that despite the failures of last summer’s signings, they’re still willing to back any realistic targets the Scot has on his radar this summer, with Nigel De Jong said to be the top of his list.

Liverpool are crying out for a holding midfield player following the injury to Lucas, as well as poor performances from bit part players such as Jay Spearing and Charlie Adam, and De Jong could be just the right guy to shore up the shaky Anfield ship.

De Jong was one of City’s most consistent players last season and many have been surprised at the lack of game time he’s seen this term, with Mancini opting to play Gareth Barry in the holding role with three attacking midfielders just in front.

And the Netherlands international is likely be partial to a summer move away from the Etihad in order to gain first-team football once again, with a bid in the region of £15m thought to be enough to tempt City into selling.

Eyes On Boro Starlet

Sky Sports understands that Middlesbrough starlet Bryn Morris is being targeted by Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

The 16-year-old, who is widely regarded in England as one of the best players of his generation, can play in midfield or defence.

Morris is already a key figure in Kenny Swain's England Under-16 side and is also the captain.

The Teesside-born youngster is seen as one of the gems of Boro's highly acclaimed youth academy.

Boro already recognize Morris's talents and included him in their FA Youth Cup squad, despite his tender years.

But Morris, who has just returned to the country after leading England to third in the Montaigu Tournament in France, is attracting strong interest following a string of impressive displays for the international side.

Whilst Boro's proud record of bringing through players means they hope any player will recognize the chances available to them at the club, they are fearful Morris could be lured away.

Sky Sports understands that England's top clubs are now on Morris's trail including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Morris cannot sign a professional deal because of his age, meaning Boro would only be due a compensation deal if he were to leave the club.

Boro remain hopeful that Morris sees his long-term future at The Riverside.

Liverpool Report £50m Losses

Liverpool have reported a loss of almost £50million for the last financial year as the scale of the club's stadium folly becomes clear.

Owners Fenway Sports Group wiped out debts of £200m when they purchased the club in October 2010.

But they were also forced to write off a further £35million related to the abandoned HKS-designed Stanley Park project of predecessors Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

The accounts also reveal a further £8.4million was spent on contract terminations, including pay-offs to former boss Roy Hodgson and former managing director Christian Purslow.

And current managing director Ian Ayre believes when exceptional items such as this are factored in, the report shows Liverpool are now on the right track despite the alarming numbers involved.

"I guess people will focus on the loss of £49.4m and there's no business - or people running any business - who are going to be pleased with any loss," Ayre told the Liverpool Echo.

"But I think the important indicator here is this £59m charge for exceptional items and as a business that's been in a transition, it's about moving from where we were to where we want to be.

"We have written off a huge amount on the stadium project. A big chunk of that £50m loss relates to the HKS project - which is now defunct - and associated costs around that."

Following their takeover in 2007, Hicks halted the established plans for a new ground in Stanley Park and chose to engage Dallas-based architects HKS instead.

They came up with an ambitious glass and steel design, but this was scrapped by FSG soon after taking over.

But there were residual costs associated with the project - such as legal, planning and design fees - that still required settling.

Ayre added: "With new ownership that was kind of milling around within the club's accounts and there was a very definite need to move that out.

"It is a huge loss but that goes with a lot of other things that nobody was really happy with in that period.

"So rather than dwell on it, we've very smartly made the decision to remove it from the club's accounts.

"It is a big write-off but it means that it's gone forever now and we can move forward now without that around our neck.

"And it also means that we are in pretty good shape in being a sustainable business. It's a positive step forward."

Ayre insisted the money spent on contract terminations was less unusual.

"It's nothing untypical of anything in football. Contracts are typically fixed term," said Ayre.

"When you make a decision to terminate somebody, the right and proper thing to do is honour the pay-out of that contract.

"This relates to Roy and to some of his backroom staff and also to Christian Purslow leaving. It's standard across football.

"It's unfortunate to have to have them - nobody wants to see anybody go - but in certain circumstances it's right to make a change and that's what that relates to."

The accounts do not include the kit deal signed with American company Warrior Sports, which is worth at least £25million a year.

And Ayre believes the true story of these figures is the comprehensive action FSG have taken the clean up the mess left by the previous regime.

He added: "If we had not written off these extraordinary costs, we would have been looking at breaking even."

"We have reduced interest charges from £18m to about £3m. That puts us in a much stronger position to utilize our revenues more effectively on the team.

"These figures in many ways represent the commitment of the owners, in paying down the acquisition debts and in other areas.

"What is reflected in these accounts was going on around the time they actually came into the club.

"It's not where we are today. It's a year on, so it was a big commitment at an early stage

"The owners have continued to make changes and commitments.

"They have made some great investment at the start; they cleaned up a lot of what was a problem at Liverpool and they have invested in both the team on and off the pitch.

"They continue to do that and look at what's right - and what works and what doesn't work."

Liverpool Possible Destination For Unai Emery

Liverpool is a possible destination for Valencia coach Unai Emery, according to Valencia Plaza.

Emery is set to leave Los Che when his contract expires on 30th June, with the Mestalla faithful having grown disillusioned with the club’s failure to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga.

Memories of the heady days of Rafael Benitez are still fresh in Valencia and Emery’s inability to move his side beyond third spot is causing Los Che to look elsewhere, despite the Spaniard having to operate with a significantly smaller budget than the Blaugrana and Los Blancos.

But even if Emery’s stock has reached an all time low at the Mestalla, it is sky high elsewhere, with a number of clubs queuing up to secure the 40-year-old’s services.

Heading that group are Greek champions Olympiacos and Basque outfit Real Sociedad.

Olympiacos are keen for Emery to succeed countryman Ernesto Valverde, who has departed Greece after two successive title winning campaigns, while Real Sociedad want to steer clear of relegation worries next season with the former midfielder at the helm.

However, a possible switch to Liverpool could trump all offers for the current Valencia coach.

The Reds have endured a disastrous Premier League campaign under Kenny Dalglish and £110M lavished in the transfer market under the fan favourite has failed to bring Champions League football back to Anfield.

While Dalglish could lead Liverpool to a domestic cup double if he can plot the downfall of Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley this weekend, the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, could choose to place their trust in Emery for next season.

Should Emery make the switch to Merseyside, he would be following a path first trodden by Rafael Benitez, who swapped Valencia for Liverpool in 2004, with spectacular results as the Champions League was won in 2005.

Dalglish Prefers Cup Glory

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish believes an 'obsession' with the Premier League has reduced the value of winning cup competitions.

The Reds go into this Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea looking for a second piece of silverware this season, having already lifted the Carling Cup in February.

But for some, Liverpool's poor league form has overshadowed these cup successes with the Anfield club losing eight of their last 12 games in the Premier League.

The Reds currently lie in eighth place in the table, well below pre-season expectations after spending a considerable amount of money in the summer.

And while Dalglish accepts the club's league form must improve, he insists cup wins bring their own satisfaction.

"Any competition you enter you want to do the best you possibly can in," said the 61-year-old Scot.

"In the league it is 38 games and at the end you finish in a position which tells you how successful it has been.

"In cup competitions there are obviously not as many games and if you get beaten you are out.

"There is an obsession with the Premier League simply because of what it holds for every club and the value financially for every club, the rewards you get for finishing in the top four and getting in the Champions League.

"But there is a satisfaction from winning a cup competition which you don't get from finishing fifth or sixth in the league.

"We have already tasted a cup final this year, albeit the Carling Cup, and getting to the FA Cup final should never be under-estimated in any way.

"It is a fantastic day out for everyone and is great reward for the efforts and commitment of the players and the respect we have paid to the competition.

"We think we deserve to be there and we are happy to be there. We will see what happens. We are in the cup final and there is no guarantee we will win but there is a guarantee we will give everything we have got to try to win.

"The season will be assessed when it's finished."

Match Report: Liverpool 0 - 1 Fulham

Fulham recorded a first win at Anfield in their history as Liverpool's FA Cup final warm-up felt decidedly flat.

The Cottagers' previous 30 visits had failed to produce a victory and Merseyside, in general, has been an unhappy hunting ground.

Saturday's woeful 4-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park extended Fulham's run in league matches to no wins in 48 trips to the city of Liverpool.

But all that changed courtesy of Martin Skrtel's fifth-minute own goal and a severely-weakened Reds line-up as manager Kenny Dalglish made nine changes to protect his major stars in the pursuit of a second domestic trophy of the season on Saturday.

Liverpool was without the likes of top scorer Luis Suarez, captain Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Craig Bellamy and goalkeeper Jose Reina.

But the absent players only enhanced their reputations as their team suffered back-to-back home defeats - having lost to West Brom last time out - and a fourth loss at home.

They have now dropped an astonishing 30 points at Anfield in the current campaign, having won just five times in 18 matches.

Prior to the game Dalglish had insisted cup final places were up for grabs but on the evidence of this performance only Skrtel and Andy Carroll stand a chance of starting.

Fulham had an absentee of their own, with manager Martin Jol missing his second successive match with a chest infection, but it did not seem to affect them.

Early on the name of Roy Hodgson was chanted by the small number of visiting fans, who have fond memories of the newly-appointed England manager after he took them to a Europa League final two years ago.

It was difficult to assess whether it was a celebration of his promotion to the national team job or a taunt to Liverpool fans - who never took to the man who succeeded Rafael Benitez and lasted just six months and Anfield.

Liverpool's problem has stemmed from dominating games but not scoring goals but they did not even have the chance to get into their stride before they were behind.

It was a goal created by two former Reds as left-back John Arne Riise crossed to ex-youth team player Alex Kacaniklic, who deflected the ball on to captain-for-the-night Skrtel who diverted it past Doni.

Clint Dempsey and Damien Duff were Fulham's brightest players in the opening exchanges and when the former chipped the ball forward the latter poked in a shot which the Liverpool goalkeeper turned behind.

It took until midway through the first half for the home side to get going with Maxi Rodriguez shooting well over before Dirk Kuyt volleyed wide from Carroll's lay-off.

They would have equalized in the 28th minute had Brede Hangeland not stopped Jonjo Shelvey's shot on the goal-line.

Carroll, returning after a minor groin complaint kept him out of the weekend win at Norwich, looked fresh and did well to make his aerial threat count in the first half, although it was mainly in providing knock-downs for team-mates.

He proved equally adept with his feet in sending Shelvey through the inside-left channel but the midfielder curled a shot wide of the far post.

Carroll had one headed chance of his own just before the interval and although his effort was straight at Mark Schwarzer, the Fulham goalkeeper almost made a mess of it before collecting his fumble.

The second half brought a change with Stewart Downing replacing Jordan Henderson and the England winger was soon into the action firing a long-range shot just wide.

Liverpool's tempo also increased but it was the visitors who created the first real chance after the break.

The woodwork, struck 30 times, has been Liverpool's nemesis this season but it rescued them just past the hour when substitute Kerim Frei's shot hit the post with Doni at full-stretch.

Carroll was continuing to put himself about up front and a great side-step beat Hangeland in the penalty area. But, with the ball on his weaker right foot, Aaron Hughes did enough to deflect his shot behind.

The introduction of 17-year-old reserve-team prodigy Raheem Sterling with 15 minutes to go gave the crowd a lift but they were holding their breath when Frei cut open the defence only for Doni to deny Dempsey with a sharp save low to his left.

But there was no sign of a rousing finish as Liverpool signed off before Wembley with a whimper.

Liverpool Flops Face FA Cup Axe

Kenny Dalglish has warned his Liverpool flops that some of them may have blown their chances of starting Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.

The Reds, who have only won five league games at Anfield this season, fielded a much-changed line-up in Tuesday night’s clash 1-0 defeat to Fulham, and Dalglish has slammed the approach of his stars.

‘Their attitude was not right and if you get a bad attitude you are going to get a bad performance and that is what we got,' he said.

'I think that is an accurate appraisal.

'I am culpable as well as I changed a lot of players to try to give everyone an opportunity to get in the frame for Saturday.

'I suppose by doing that it was a contributory factor to what happened but you can only be fair. I tried to be fair and give everyone an opportunity - maybe I was wrong.

'There were one or two positives but there were too many negatives. We cannot play at that tempo, we have to play at a quicker tempo than that. We deserved nothing.'

Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Dirk Kuyt and Skrtel all played a significant part in the defeat, while Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina were all rested.

Liverpool Legend Criticises Dalglish Selection Policy

Former Liverpool star Steve McManaman has criticized Kop boss Kenny Dalglish's selection policy, after they slumped to a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Fulham.

The result marked the 14th time that Liverpool have failed to win at Anfield, and McManaman questioned Dalglish's decision to rest players ahead of the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday.

As reported by Goal.com, McManaman said on ESPN post-match: “Why not win [on Tuesday] and on Saturday? It’s only rotation if you have the quality.”

Dalglish opted to rest Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez ahead of Saturday's final, and McManaman called into question the ability and desire of the line-up which was fielded against Fulham.

“You have to do yourself justice in front of the fans, who pay very good money while the economy [continues to decline]. You have to give them something and they [the players] have given them nothing.

“If you are going to go down, go down with the fans thinking ‘at least they had a go’. But there was none of that. Fulham were deserved winners.”

Despite winning the Carling Cup in February and having the potential of adding to that with the FA Cup, Liverpool have endured a disappointing league campaign.

Defeat to Fulham was their fourth at home and 13th overall this season, and the club could face their worst Premier League finish ever if they fail to get out of their current slump.

Liverpool Identify Two Prolific Strikers

Liverpool's struggles in the league continued on Tuesday night as they were beaten 1-0 at Anfield by Fulham who are now level on points with the Merseyside club.

The Reds have struggled all season at home and it seems as though manager Kenny Dalglish may well be in the market for another striker after seeing yet another wasteful display.

Dalglish and assistant Steve Clarke travelled to France last Friday to watch Montpellier in action where they will have been able to watch forward Olivier Giroud in action.

The French striker is the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season with 19 league goals and has impressed so much that he is almost a certainty to travel to Euro 2012, despite having just three caps to his name.

The Daily Mail has reported that Giroud has a release clause of around £13.5million, but believe that a stumbling block to the move could be the lack of Champions League football.

Another striker that is known to be on the radar is FC Twente forward Luuk de Jong whose agent yesterday admitted that Liverpool are one of the clubs interested in signing the Dutch forward.

However, Liverpool will face plenty of competition for the striker with his agent also claiming that there are believed to be 15 clubs interested in signing the forward who has scored 23 goals in 28 league appearances.

Tottenham And Liverpool Alerted As Robben Threatens To Quit Bayern

Liverpool and Tottenham are just two of the names being mentioned after it was reported that Arjen Robben may decide to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

The fiery Dutch winger was involved in a bust-up with fellow midfielder Franck Ribery during the Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid and now he may decide to quit the club.

The Daily Mail has reported that he is unwilling to renew his contract which expires in the summer of 2013 and he may choose to walk out on the club who are set to play Chelsea in the Champions League final.

Reports in Germany have claimed that Ribery went as far as slapping Robben over an argument about who would take a free-kick against Real Madrid.

Robben moved to Bayern Munich for £20million when he left Real Madrid but he does have experience of the Premier League where he won the league title with Chelsea under Jose Mourinho.

The Mail believes that Liverpool and Tottenham have been alerted to the news of Robben's possible departure and may be interested in trying to sign him over the summer.

Bayern president Uli Hoeness has revealed that Robben was all set to sign a new contract with the club but suddenly he has delayed.

"All I know is that he was just about to put pen to paper, and now that has all been postponed," said Hoeness.

Italian Giants Join Arsenal And Liverpool In Chase For Colombian Star

Arsenal and Liverpool target Pablo Armero is now attracting the attention of AC Milan and Juventus, according to Italian TV station Mediaset.

The 25-year-old Udinese defender has been one of the Serie A side's most consistent performers this season, with 28 appearances and a single goal.

The left-footed Colombia international has become a mainstay in Udinese's backline since he joined from Brazilian side Palmeiras in 2010 and can play at left-back as well as left midfield.

He has even deputized as a holding midfielder at times this season - a fact not lost on his long list of admirers.

His contract expires in the summer of 2015 and Udinese would want around £8m to tempt them into a deal.

Liverpool Face Threat From Milan In Bid To Land Barca Star

Liverpool target Seydou Keita could be about to snub the Anfield side and agree to a switch to AC Milan.

The Mali international has been looking for a new challenge away from Barcelona after falling behind their long list of midfield stars and becoming a sporadically used substitute.

The 32-year-old is looking for a contract that will take him to the end of his career and Russian super-spenders Anzhi have also made their interest known.

But Barca is prepared to use Keita as a makeweight in a deal to refresh their squad and are considering offering him plus cash to AC Milan in a deal for Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva.

Keita has previously described Liverpool as "a great club with great players", but he might now prefer a move to the San Siro, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.

Liverpool Fifth Most Costly Premier League Side

One of the arguments trotted out to defend the high transfer fees paid for some players last summer—right after the one about how British players with Premier League experience would take less time to settle and because of this pay back the higher fees with a better chance of returning to the Champions League—was that the players coming in would be on lower wages than the men they were replacing. The fees might seem high at first glance, then, but the total cost to the club would be less over the longer term.

If that was indeed the intent, then something has gone rather wrong: The average weekly wage paid out to first team players at Liverpool Football Club has risen 6% this season to over £80,000. This takes Liverpool from being the institution with the 20th highest wage bill in global sport to number 18 on the list. While well behind Manchester City (3), Chelsea (4), and Manchester United (11), and slightly back of Arsenal (16), this still makes Liverpool the fifth most costly side in the Premier League by salary.

After Liverpool, in fact, another English club doesn’t make the list until Aston Villa in 41st place. Of sides ahead of them in the table today, Tottenham rank 51st, Newcastle 127th, and Everton 108th in wages paid. Fulham, who are now level on points, are 104th. Whether or not this played a role in Damien Comolli’s recent dismissal, it’s damning to learn that Liverpool is in fact shelling out 6% more to its players this season compared to last in addition to the heavy fees paid for many of those new signings in the summer and yet the club remains on pace for their worst finish in over half a century.

League results may have improved slightly in recent weeks—at least relative to what they were a month ago—but regardless of cost the bigger picture isn’t all that pretty. At the beginning of March, the club had managed only 0.8 points per game in the previous ten games, while the form since the second half of the season began in January sat at 0.73 points per game. It meant the club stood 19th in the table in the second half and was on relegation form.

Now, Liverpool has managed to raise their form to an even point per game over the past ten matches, with their second-half form rising to 0.88 points per game as a result. The second half form remains in the relegation zone, only moving the club up to 18th from 19th, but at least their form over the past ten matches is slightly above that—over the entire season, a point per game would see Liverpool in 17th place today. On only that most recent form, Liverpool would be 0.03 points per game back of Aston Villa—another side under-performing heavily compared to the wages they pay.

So there has at least been some minor improvement in the league in recent weeks, though it’s very much a relative thing as over a season that improvement would still see the club’s performance at a level far closer to relegation than to the top four. It’s also worth noting that following last night’s disinterested loss to Fulham, Liverpool now need all six points from their remaining two league matches against Chelsea and Swansea to avoid their worst finish in the top flight since relegation in 1954.

As problematic as league performance is even separated from wages paid, what’s most damning about where the club currently finds itself is that the outlay on players—with the numbers taken from the start of the 2011-12 season, when all summer transfers but Raul Meireles’ had been completed—has actually gone up. As such, it isn’t a situation that can be blamed on past regimes and their Joe Coles. For years, Rafa Benitez wildly outperformed his spend in the league table, with European dominance thrown into the mix. Since 2009-10, however, the club’s results have plummeted past something resembling a fair return to the embarrassing place they now stand.

Two things are clear here: Liverpool are wildly overpaying many of their current players based on return on the pitch, and bringing in the likes of Carroll, Downing, and Adam has in fact done the opposite of reducing the wages paid to the average Liverpool player. What also seems apparent is that if Liverpool want to have a legitimate chance of competing near the top of the league and in Europe, then there isn’t just a clear need to spend smarter on players—they also plain need to spend more. The financial numbers make the degree to which Liverpool has misspent in the transfer market over the past year and a half all the more clear, but they also make it clear that even with smarter spending the current outlay isn’t anywhere near enough to compete with the top sides in England.

Match Preview: Liverpool vs Fulham

Kenny Dalglish is on Tuesday night likely to give his players the chance to audition for a place in Liverpool's FA Cup final team when Fulham visit Anfield in the Premier League.

The Merseyside club's extremely disappointing league campaign has long since been limping towards its conclusion and the best they can hope for is a seventh-placed finish.

Attention has consequently been upon a second domestic cup final appearance of the season ever since Merseyside rivals Everton were defeated in the FA Cup semi-finals on 14th April.

Dalglish has told his players they have a chance to submit their 'CVs' ahead of facing Chelseaon Saturday at Wembley and all will be keen to impress against Fulham, although the Scot is also likely to rotate his squad in order to avoid any risk of injury.

But visitors Fulham will not view this midweek fixture as a dress rehearsal and, in contrast to their hosts, they have enjoyed the 2011/12 Premier League.

Martin Jol, who it is understood will return to the dugout after missing the weekend defeat by Everton due to a chest infection, has guided Fulham into the top half of the table.

Indeed, with three league games of the season remaining, the Londoners could yet finish above a Liverpool squad containing more than £80million investment from last summer.

The omens are not brilliant for Fulham as they prepare for their second game on Merseyside in four days given they have never won a Premier League game at Anfield, failing to score in their last five.

But they have only suffered defeat on two occasions in the last five overall league fixtures with Liverpool, who are far from comfortable at Anfield after winning just once in their last seven home games in the top flight.

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has recovered from the injury which meant he missed Saturday's victory at Norwich and is available for selection.

The club's record signing was left out because of a minor groin complaint, but has returned to training.

With the FA Cup final four days after facing Fulham, there are likely to be other changes to the team.

Andy Johnson is a doubt for Fulham's after he missed Saturday's 4-0 thrashing at Everton with an adductor injury and he is not expected to recover in time.

Stephen Kelly may also have to wait before making his comeback, while winger Bryan Ruiz (foot), Steve Sidwell (hernia) and Zdenek Grygera (knee) are long-term absentees.

Former Liverpool full-back John Arne Riise, who won the UEFA Champions League with the club in 2005, will likely start for Fulham on his emotional return to Anfield.

Possible starting XIs:

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Coates, Enrique, Shelvey, Henderson, Spearing, Maxi, Bellamy, Carroll.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Hughes, Hangeland, Senderos, Riise, Duff, Diarra, Frei, Dempsey, Pogrebnyak, Dembele.

Dalglish Wants Final Applicants

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish will allow all of his players to 'put their CV in' for selection for the FA Cup final.

The Reds face Fulham at Anfield in the Premier League on Tuesday, but the most significant game in terms of their season is the Wembley encounter against Chelsea four days later.

Dalglish is usually adamant he and his players focus on the next match only, but even he has hinted he may pick his team to face the Cottagers with one eye on the final.

"We've said to all of the players, 'we want to give you the best possible chance to be available for selection on Saturday'," said the Scot as he plans for a second trophy of the season.

"We want the strongest possible squad we can to pick from for Saturday's game, and there are many ways we can do it.

"If someone needs a break, we'll give them a break and if someone needs a game, we will give them a game, because every single one of them are more than capable of playing in a cup final for this club.

"It's going to be a difficult selection as it always is, but it's a difficult selection for tomorrow night as well.

"Everybody will be treated fairly and equally and everybody will be allowed to put their CV in for selection on Saturday."

Fulham visit Merseyside for the second time in three days, but despite their abject performance in a 4-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday, Dalglish will not underestimate the visitors.

"They're a good side, Fulham, and difficult to play against," he told Liverpool's official website.

"They got battered 4-0 at Everton on Saturday so I'm sure they will be a bit upset with that and they might be wounded animals coming to play against us.

"We will just play the best we possibly can and for us it's an important game.

"It's one we want to get three points from, and we'll put a team on the pitch we think can win and we want to win, then we can concentrate on the final afterwards."

Carroll Boost For Reds

Andy Carroll has handed Liverpool a boost by returning to training after missing the weekend win over Norwich.

The striker was forced to miss the 3-0 victory at Carrow Road with a slight niggle, but he was able to take part in training on Monday.

Carroll could now return to the side for Tuesday's home clash with Fulham ahead of this weekend's FA Cup final with Chelsea at Wembley

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish admitted he rested Carroll as a precaution for the trip to Carrow Road.

"He's training today," Dalglish told the club's official website. "It was just a niggle.

"Players are either going to be rested or they are going to play to give them the best possible opportunity to be available for Saturday, and Andy comes into the category. The safest thing to do was rest him on Saturday."