Kenny Dalglish Back To Splash £28M On Liverpool

Kenny Dalglish returns from his summer break this week ready, willing and able to sanction a £28million spending spree.

Kenny Dalglish's first deal will be for Blackpool star Charlie Adam, 25, who is on the verge of completing an £8m move to Anfield in the next 48 hours.

And then the Liverpool boss will switch his attention to Aston Villa’s Stewart Downing, 26, who is desperate to be a Kop hero.

Dalglish is anxious to tie up the deal quickly, although Villa are haggling over the price for the England winger.

They want £20m, which is £4m more than the Kop giants want to pay.

The two clubs will reach a compromise in the next few days but Liverpool fear they will have to stump up the full asking price.

Downing is refusing to extend his contract, which has two years to run, and his arrival at Anfield now seems to be a case of when and not if.

Adam was heartbroken that a £7m Liverpool bid was rejected by Blackpool at the end of a crazy January transfer window.

But now relegation to the Championship has forced the Seasiders’ hand and they are resigned to losing the Scotland star, two years after he signed from Rangers for £500,000.

Liverpool’s director of football Damien Comolli has held talks with Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston to finalize the deal.

But Villa’s new boss Alex McLeish, who worked with Adam at Rangers, hasn’t given hope of a last-ditch hijack attempt.

Liverpool Planning Audacious Bid For Tottenham Star

Liverpool is planning an audacious swoop for Tottenham Hotspur winger Aaron Lennon.

According to The People, the club's Director of Football Damien Comolli, has identified the England winger as the ideal acquisition for Kenny Dalglish's summer rebuild.

24-year-old Lennon will cost the Merseysiders at least £20 million and is seen as the perfect remedy, after the club missed out on Ashley Young, who opted to sign for rivals Manchester United for a similar fee.

Comolli is of the belief that Lennon would be open to a move back north, and that with Spurs looking to hold on to Luka Modric by making him the club's highest paid player, they will need to sell first.

Lennon, who still has three years left to run on his current deal, is the latest wide-man to be linked with Liverpool. The club have been linked with a £17 million move for want-away Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing, who has been told he will need to hand in a formal transfer request if he wishes to move on.

England International Lennon is seen as the perfect compliment to Jordan Henderson, who joined Liverpool from Sunderland for £20 million earlier this month.

Should Lennon join the club, Kenny Dalglish's total spending would be near the £100 million mark, adding to the pricey signings of Henderson as well as Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez in January.

Moussa Sissoko In Talks With Liverpool

Toulouse's Moussa Sissoko is in negotiations with Liverpool over a potential transfer, while Inter and Lyon are also frontrunners for the midfielder's signature, Goal.com have been told.

The 21-year-old is set for a high-profile move away from Le Tefece after a string of influential performances in Ligue 1 last season.

Sissoko's agent insists the France international has several offers tabled, with the offer from fellow French side Lyon being the strongest.

“The link with Lyon is serious, but it is not the only one,” said his agent, Bacary Sanogo. “There are also negotiations with Liverpool, Newcastle and Inter. Things should seriously move next week.”

However, opposition may come in the form of Toulouse president Olivier Sadran, who will reportedly not accept a bid of anything less than €15 million [£13.3m] for his prized asset.

Since Sissoko has two years left on his contract, Sanogo has refused to rule out the possibility of his client remaining with Toulouse if a transfer deal cannot be struck this summer.

“His priority is a club with a major sporting project. But it will not pose a problem to Moussa [to remain with Toulouse].”

Liverpool Refusing To Budge On £6m Valuation Of Adam

Blackpool may be forced to sell captain Charlie Adam for only half the £12million they wanted in January.

Liverpool is unwilling to pay more than £6m for the 25-year-old, who was the subject of a bidding war between them and Spurs six months ago.

Blackpool's relegation has meant Adams' price has dropped, particularly as he only has a year left on his contract.

Liverpool have not registered a formal bid in this window and are prepared to be patient as they believe Adam would ideally like a move to Anfield. Aston Villa and Tottenham may also bid as the asking price drops.

Liverpool are also looking at Villa winger Stewart Downing and have monitored Lyon defender Dejan Lovren.

Liverpool Set To Miss Out On Dimitri Payet

Lille is closing in on Saint-Etienne winger Dimitri Payet, despite an interest from Liverpool.

Goal.com UK revealed Reds director Damien Comolli is eager to lure the 24-year-old to Anfield, but he is not keen on matching the French club's asking price, around €12.3 million (£11 m).

Rather, he has valued the player at €6.7 m. (£5.9m) That appears to have left the French champions with a window to move for Payet as L'Equipe reports the France international could complete a transfer north within days.

The former Nantes player is said to have spoken with Lille directors over personal terms and he has been guaranteed regular football by coach Rudi Garcia.

Saint-Etienne president Roland Romeyer expects big developments within the next few days as he declared: "We are talking and I hope things are concluded next week."

Paris Saint-Germaine has also been linked with the Frenchman who is tied to his current club until 2013.

Villarreal Beat Liverpool To Zapata?

Liverpool look to have been beaten in the race for Udinese defender Cristian Zapata, as he seems to be heading to Villarreal.

The Reds had been heavily linked with the Colombian international centre-back a couple of weeks ago.

However, according to Spanish newspaper Marca, Udinese have a deal in place with Villarreal.

The 'Yellow Submarine' director of sport Antonio Cordon has reportedly secured an agreement for €6m plus ownership of Javier Matilla.

Although Matilla is part of the exchange, he will be loaned out to Granada, the Liga club owned by Udinese patrons the Pozzo family.

Young Reds Star For England

Liverpool Academy starlet Brad Smith played the entire 90 minutes as England secured top spot in Group C of the FIFA U17 World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Uruguay on Saturday night.

Goals from Nathaniel Chalobah and Max Clayton ensured the Young Lions cruise through to the knockout stages having tallied seven points from their three matches in Mexico.

Smith was joined on the field by fellow Liverpool youngster Jack Dunn, who was introduced to the action as a 71st minute substitute.

Raheem Sterling, Matty Regan, Adam Morgan and Tyrell Belford watched the contest unfold from the bench.

England will now meet Argentina in Pachuca on June 30.

Petter Harrison Won't Let Andy Carroll Go

Peter Harrison is refusing to give up the fight in his legal wrangle with Liverpool striker Andy Carroll.

Peter Harrison, Andy Carroll’s former agent, withdrew his case against him on legal advice at an FA arbitration hearing last week.

But Harrison is now demanding a personal FA hearing over his claim that Carroll was in breach of contract when he switched the handling of his affairs to rival agent Mark Curtis.

Harrison insists he had a contract with Carroll, 22, until March and took his case to the FA, claiming loss of earnings over the five-year deal the player agreed with Newcastle last October.

Meanwhile, hotshot Carroll is hoping next summer will be gold-en.

The England star hopes to play for Team GB at the London Olympics.

And a source close to the striker said: “Andy’s grandparents come from Scotland and playing for GB next summer would really please them.”

Reserves To Face Waterford

A Liverpool XI will take on Waterford United next month as part of a two-match pre-season tour of Ireland.

Rodolfo Borrell's Reds side will go head-to-head with the Blues at the Waterford Regional Sports Centre on Wednesday, July 20, kick-off 7.45pm.

Waterford United vice-chairman Sam White said: "We're delighted to be able to welcome a club of the stature of Liverpool to the RSC.

"It will be a great, historic, occasion for Waterford United, and hopefully a great boost for the city also.

"Liverpool has huge support throughout the country, and it's a great opportunity for Reds fans from all over the South East, and further afield, to come and see the Anfield stars of the future."

Last week, it was confirmed a Liverpool XI will play Bray Wanderers on Monday, July 18 at the Carlisle Grounds in Bray, Co. Wicklow, kick-off 7.45pm.