Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is lining up a bid for Raul Meireles as an alternative to Tottenham's Luka Modric.
The Stamford Bridge club is considering making a third offer for the Croatian playmaker, after bids of £22 million and £27 million were turned down earlier in the summer.
Villas-Boas, who knows Meireles from his time at Porto, has not ruled out bringing both players to Chelsea as he regards the Portuguese international as a perfect foil for Modric's creativity.
Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in a deal of around £12 million to help offset their summer spending spree under their new ownership.
Kenny Dalglish has spent much of the summer strengthening his midfield by bringing in Sunderland's Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam from Blackpool and Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing.
Competition at the club is fierce and both Meireles and Dirk Kuyt, mainstays last season, were relegated to the bench for Liverpool's opening game against Sunderland.
After initially struggling to get to grips with the Premier League, Meireles had a great end to the season under Dalglish and was voted the PFA Fans Player of the Year at the end of the season.
Chelsea is also reportedly considering adding Yossi Benayoun or Didier Drogba to the Modric deal in a bid to persuade Daniel Levy and Harry Redknapp to part with their influential playmaker.
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