Liverpool Forced To Pay £6million For Capel

Sporting Lisbon is refusing to lower their price tag of £6million for winger Diego Capel with Liverpool reportedly interested in signing him.

Portuguese reports suggest that Capel is ready to leave Sporting and that the club has come to terms with his exit, although they are looking to maximize their funds.

Capel has asked to leave for a bigger club, according to O Jogo, and Liverpool would fit under that bill.

The Express report that Liverpool had a £3million bid rejected earlier this summer and will have to be prepared to cough up double that amount if they are to sign the 25-year-old before the transfer window shuts.

Marseille look set to challenge Liverpool for the winger’s signature if they are unable to beat Newcastle and Arsenal to Florian Thauvin, the article suggests.

However, having offloaded Stewart Downing to West Ham, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers may return with a second bid as he continues to build his own squad during his second summer transfer window at Anfield.

Papadopoulos Move To Liverpool Imminent

Kyriakos Papadopoulos is on the verge of completing a move to Liverpool after his current club Schalke has given up on trying to hold onto him, it has been reported.

The Daily Star has reported that Schalke had previously been reluctant to part with the defender but now have decided to thrash out a deal for the player.

The article also reveals that sources close to Papadopoulos have claimed that the defender wants to make the switch from the Bundesliga to the Premier League.

Brendan Rodgers had been unwilling to match the £13 million price tag set by Schalke, but the German club now seem ready to compromise, the report reveals.

The article reports that Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt claimed that his club was willing to speak to Liverpool once a bid had been made for the defender.

Heldt was speaking to German newspaper Bild and revealed that Liverpool were yet to make a bid.

He said, “Specifically, there is nothing that has arrived, as far as I know.”

He added, “We’re going to speak to each other when it takes concrete from. There is currently nothing concrete.”

Therefore, it seems that any deal for Papadopoulos will revolve around how large a bid Liverpool submits for the player.

Liverpool Close In On Deal For Will Hughes

Liverpool is poised to win the race for highly rated Derby midfielder Will Hughes, with the club set to lodge a £6million bid this week.

Hughes is considered one of the best prospects in England, and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to bring him to Anfield this summer.

Arsenal, Chelsea and even Manchester United have all been linked with the 18-year-old, who has already racked up nearly 50 first-team appearances.

But it is Liverpool who leads the race, with Rodgers ready to bid after sending chief scout Dave Fallows to check on Hughes during the England Under-21s’ win over Scotland last week.

The elegant midfielder impressed in that match, and the talk on Merseyside is that a £6million bid will go in within days.

Derby has always maintained that they want to keep the player, but manager Nigel Clough confessed over the weekend that he might go if the price is right.

‘There is interest but at the moment nothing is happening with Will,’ said Clough.

‘But at the end of the transfer window anything can happen.’

Hughes still has three years left on his contract at Pride Park after penning an extension last summer.

Liverpool Renew Interest In Tiago Ilori

Brendan Rodgers has renewed his interest in Sporting Lisbon's defender Tiago Ilori.

Rodgers shelved his interest when Sporting rejected Liverpool's £3million bid for Ilori, demanding around double that amount.

Now Ilori's refusal to sign a new deal with the Portuguese club has given Rodgers' fresh hope that a compromise deal can be brokered.

Liverpool were represented at Sporting's 5-1 home win over Arouca yesterday, although Ilori did not feature, and it is understood further discussions have been held between the clubs.

Burak Yilmaz Wanted By Arsenal & Liverpool

Arsenal and Liverpool have entered the race to sign Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz after Lazio's refusal to meet the player's £12million valuation, reports the Daily Star.

The 28-year-old Turkish international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Türk Telekom Arena this summer, after an impressive campaign in 2012/13 where he scored 24 goals in 30 Super Lig appearances.

Yilmaz also caught the eye in the Champions League last season, netting eight goals in just nine matches in Europe's elite club competition.

His impressive performances garnered interest from a host of Premier League clubs, however Serie 'A' looked like Yilmaz's most likely destination after Lazio jumped ahead of the queue for his signature.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been credited with an interest in bringing Yilmaz to the Emirates Stadium, while Brendan Rodgers is also believed to be monitoring the player's situation ahead of a proposed bid to lure him to Anfield.

According to reports in Turkey, Yilmaz will command wages of around £2.1million per year, and is holding out for a long-term five-year contract.

But, with Lazio only prepared to pay £8million for the prolific striker's services, Arsenal and Liverpool will have an opportunity to hijack a move for Yilmaz, if they are prepared to meet Galatasaray's valuation.

Liverpool Set To Miss Out On PSG Star

Liverpool is set to be disappointed in their pursuit of PSG defender Mamadou Sakho, reports the Daily Express.

Brendan Rodgers has been linked with a move for the 23-year-old this summer despite signing Kolo Toure already this summer.

With Daniel Agger continuing to flirt with a move to Barcelona, it is though Rodger's wants Sakho as reassurance were Agger to leave.

However, the Reds now look set to miss out on the powerful Frenchman after reports surfaced that he prefers a move to Serie A giants AC Milan.

Sakho has become increasingly unsettled at Parc de Prince this summer after Brazilian duo Thiago Silva and Alex were Carlo Ancelotti's preferred options.

That situation looks to go unchanged under new manager Laurent Blanc as the manager confirmed that Sakho is free to leave the Parisian club.

He told reporters earlier in the summer: "It is true that Mamadou expressed his desire to find a new club.

"The position of the club is clear. Until September 2, the situation will evolve; there will be time to find a solution that suits both parties."

Liverpool Sign Cissokho On Loan

Liverpool has announced the signing of Valencia defender Aly Cissokho on a season-long loan deal.

The 25-year-old has been training with the Reds after undergoing a medical at the Merseyside outfit this week.

The French left-back is Liverpool's fifth signing of the summer transfer window and joins Brendan Rodgers’ side to add depth to the squad, with Jose Enrique the only recognized left-back.

Cissokho told the club's official website:” I feel extremely proud to be here and I'm proud of all the hard work I've put in so far throughout my career.

"I've always dreamt of one day signing for a really legendary club. I've been lucky enough to play for a few top sides and so to now get the chance to play for a club like Liverpool, it's just fantastic.

"It's really pleasing when a club like Liverpool shows interest in you, and when that interest becomes more serious, you really can't wait for the move to go through.

"Now that the transfer has been completed, I'm really happy.

"I hope to feature in as many games as possible. I know it's going to be quite tough and I need to get to work as soon as possible as pre-season is over and we are into the league program."

Agger Says Tattoos Show His Commitment

Daniel Agger has insisted that he doesn’t want to leave Liverpool this summer and believes his tattoos show how much he loves the club.

It has been reported that Barcelona was keen on Agger after a series of impressive seasons at Anfield along with the Spaniards lack of options at the heart of their defence.

Since the Catalan interest Brendan Rodgers has made the Dane his vice-captain, and Agger says he will never consider leaving the club unless they decide to push him out.

“Barcelona is obviously a big club, but I have never thought about leaving Liverpool, unless they want to sell,” Agger was quoted in the Metro, who arrived at Anfield under Rafa Benitez in 2006.

“Everyone at the club are an integral part of my life, I have a YNWA tattoo.

“Frankly I don't mind if we don't finish in the top four, I love the club.”

Agger has for some years been linked with a move to Barca.

He instantly impressed on his arrival at Liverpool where he eventually replaced Sami Hyypia alongside Jamie Carragher in central defence.

He has since suffered an injury-hit period but is beginning to re-discover his best form, in part due to Brendan Rodgers' preference for possession football.

Gerrard Played Key Part In Resolving Suarez Fued

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard played a key part in resolving the dispute between Luis Suarez and Reds manager Brendan Rodgers, it has been reported.

The Mirror reported that the Liverpool midfielder played a peacekeeping role in the talks between Suarez and Rodgers.

The reports suggests that the rift now seems to have been healed and that Suarez now seems content to stay at Anfield despite the lack of Champions League football at the club.

Throughout the saga Liverpool were adamant that the striker would not be sold and that left Suarez with little option but to apologize to the manager over his conduct, the article reveals.

Liverpool defender Kolo Toure commented on Suarez staying and said, “The club knows that by keeping him we are going to be really strong because he is one of the best strikers in the world.”

He added, “I believe what the club did is right. We all wanted him to stay. You never want one of your best players leaving to go to another team.”