Liverpool Plot Bid For Valencia Winger Juan Mata

Liverpool are lining up a January move for Valencia winger Juan Mata and will try to use Ryan Babel as part of the deal, Goal.com UK has learned.

Roy Hodgson has made the Spaniard one of his main targets for when the transfer window re-opens but the Liverpool manager knows his side will have to improve on their dismal start to the season if they are to tempt Mata to Anfield.

Sources close to the club have told Goal.com UK that Hodgson has given up on Dutch star Babel and has made the former Ajax man available for just £4.5 million as he looks to revitalize his beleaguered squad.

Liverpool would prefer to get Babel off their books by using the 23-year-old as a makeweight to convince Valencia to part with Mata, whose contract at the Mestalla expires in the summer of 2012.

Mata, 22, would cost the cash-strapped Reds around £12m, with the club believing they could finance the deal by cutting their losses on Babel, who cost £11.5m in June 2007.

Valencia are themselves in financial strife and could be forced to sell Mata, despite making more than £60m from the summer sales of star duo David Villa and David Silva.

Mata has stalled on talks over a new contract and is believed to be happy to assess his options as his contract runs down, with Liverpool just one of a number of clubs monitoring his situation.

Hodgson believes Mata’s pace and sweet left foot would be a valuable addition to his squad, while the Spain international has a record of scoring vital goals from his attacking midfield position.

Mata, a former Real Madrid trainee, could be tempted to link up with fellow Spaniards Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina on Merseyside.

But with uncertainty surrounding Liverpool’s ownership and management situation, the club faces a tough task in convincing Mata to leave Valencia, who are top of the Spanish Primera Division, for a side that could be in a relegation battle.

Babel could emerge as the key to the deal as he would provide the Spanish side with an instant replacement if they lose their star man, while the Dutchman’s ability to play as a striker as well as on either wing could be attractive.

Liverpool agreed a £5m fee for Babel with both Tottenham and West Ham United on the final day of the summer transfer window but the deals fell through, leaving Hodgson with a player who knows he is not wanted at Anfield.

Babel’s below-par performance in the Reds’ League Cup defeat to Northampton Town last month is believed to have been the final straw for Hodgson after his failure to impress with any consistency during his three years in the North West.

The Netherlands international arrived at Liverpool with a reputation as one of the brightest talents in Europe but has mainly been forced to accept a role as a substitute, under former boss Rafael Benitez and now with Hodgson in charge.