Kenny Dalglish will ask Liverpool's principal owner, John W Henry, to provide the funds for as many as four January signings in an attempt to rectify the club's desperately disappointing campaign when the pair meet in the next 48 hours.
Though the Scot has offered his squad staunch support in public since he replaced Roy Hodgson at Anfield – insisting after Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Blackpool that the players already at his disposal "look good enough" to move Liverpool away from the relegation zone – he is convinced he must use the transfer window to bolster his resources if he is to have any chance of salvaging the season.
Henry arrived on Merseyside on Thursday to begin a 10-day visit and will doubtless seek talks with his caretaker manager as a matter of urgency. The American can expect the 59 year-old to request that Fenway Sports Group, the club's parent company, makes substantial funds available this month, despite the uncertainty over his position and Liverpool's repeated insistence that January is a "difficult" time to buy.
Dalglish – together with Damien Comolli, the club's director of football strategy – is thought to harbour hopes that as many as four senior reinforcements could be drafted in, with a left-back, a wide player and a striker top of his agenda.
Luis Suarez, the Ajax striker, has emerged as the most likely target for the last of these positions, with the player's club minded to sell him – providing they receive an offer in excess of £18 million. Sources in Holland have confirmed that a bid from Liverpool, who has watched the player intensely over the last few months, is anticipated.
As well as Suarez, the Ajax left-back Urby Emanuelson is believed to be a target, while Lille duo Gervinho and Eden Hazard – both of whom can play either as an orthodox striker or in a wide position – have attracted Liverpool's attention. Moves for Yann M'Vila and Sylvain Marveaux, both of Rennes, are expected to wait until the summer.
Ashley Young, of Aston Villa, and Charles N'Zogbia, the Wigan winger, have also been discussed, though it is feared the former's asking price may prove prohibitive, while the DW Stadium club have received no offers for the latter. Hamburg's Eljero Elia and Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku are also under consideration.
Dalglish's determination to sign a left-back to replace Paul Konchesky may also lead to a return to Anfield for Stephen Warnock, with the club believed to be considering a loan offer with a view to a permanent move in the summer.
What the Scot will seek to learn from Henry, though, is what level of funding is likely to be available, as he admitted on Thursday. "I can always make a request [for money], but it might not always be accepted," said Dalglish. "I have never broached the subject of money being available with the owners. If there is a possibility of someone coming in then we will cross that bridge when we come to it."
FSG has made it clear it will not set a hard and fast transfer budget, preferring to judge each case on its own merit, but with just 17 days of the window remaining, the club cannot afford to waste time. It also remains uncertain as to what extent Dalglish must trim his squad before he seeks additional recruits. FSG is unimpressed with Liverpool's already bloated wage bill and is unlikely to permit its exponential growth simply for short-term gain.
Saleable assets, though, are in short supply at Anfield. Konchesky cannot be sold without dispensation from Fifa as he has already played for two clubs this season, while the wages earned by the likes of Christian Poulsen, Ryan Babel and Milan Jovanovic will make them hard to move on.
Even more pressingly, Dalglish's side, who has been defeated in both of his games in charge, must overcome the small matter of a Merseyside derby. Though Everton would be forgiven for travelling to Anfield in confident mood, Tim Cahill admits "that disharmony can bring you together".
The Australian – who in on international duty at the Asian Cup and will not be playing – is one man Dalglish perhaps should not cite to Henry as he looks for funds to bolster his squad. To Cahill, hard cash is not nearly as effective as heart, particularly amid the heat of a derby.
"In games like this you have to make sure you give everything," said the midfielder, speaking to promote the Tim Cahill Everton Experience, a fund-raising initiative to help the victims of the Queensland floods.
"It's down to your work ethic and spirit. We all know what a great spirit we have at Everton. Over the last six or seven years, at the worst times, when it's not going your way, that spirit is what has brought us through."
