Ohh!! Transfer Rumours Update #August

The best rumours circulating around possible Anfield targets and apparent exits.

STEWART DOWNING



Fulham want Downing or Adam as part of Liverpool Dempsey deal as Aston Villa and Everton join race for American
Martin Jol is keen to offset the potential blow of losing his American forward by reinforcing his squad with one of the expensive Anfield misfits
Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam have been discussed as makeweights in the deal to take Clint Dempsey from Fulham to Liverpool, Goal.com can reveal.
But Brendan Rodgers’ bid to sign the USA international faces competition from Everton and Aston Villa, who have both made recent enquiries to sign Dempsey.
Liverpool are reluctant to meet Fulham’s asking price for the 29-year-old, even though the Londoners will settle for a fee of around £5-6million.
Sources have told Goal.com that discussions have centred on the possibility of either Downing or Adam joining Fulham in part-exchange.

SOURCE: Goal.com

Liverpool have pursued Clint Dempsey for some time and given that the Fulham attacker has just a year to run on his Craven Cottage contract it seems very plausible that the West London side would opt to cash in on the American instead of losing the player on a free next summer.

The 29 year old has not joined the Fulham party for their pre-season training camp in Switzerland, furthering speculation that the Texan may be on his way.

However if Martin Jol believes he can land either Charlie Adam or Stewart Downing as part of any swap deal he may well be sorely mistaken. Brendan Rodgers has not indicated that either player is available and their exits are all the less likely given that the Anfield boss has already offloaded Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez whilst Craig Bellamy may well also leave the Merseyside club this summer.

Winger Downing had a poor first term at Liverpool but cost the club a large fee so any swap deal would probably not be a cost effective option for Rodgers to consider. Adam started the last campaign well but faded in the second half of the season but still finished as the club’s leading assist maker.

Rodgers may well see Dempsey as an ideal attacking option to help boost Liverpool’s goal tally this coming season.

In 2011/12 Kenny Dalglish’s side managed just 47 goals in 38 Premier League matches whilst Clint Dempsey scored 23 goals across all competitions last season.

CRAIG BELLAMY


QPR have admitted an interest in Liverpool veteran Craig Bellamy according to Sporting Life. Loftus Road vice-chairman Amit Bhatia has confirmed that Mark Hughes would be interested in the Welsh international, who he brought to Man City during his short stint in charge of the Etihad Stadium side.
The Anfield man could be the latest of Liverpool’s old guard that Brendan Rodgers is willing to sell, with Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt having already completed moves to Newell’s Old Boys and Fenerbahce respectively.
The well traveled 33 year old had a successful season last term having re-signed for the Merseyside club, netting nine goals in 37 appearances, of which 19 came from the bench. The former West Ham & Newcastle United man may well be interested in a move to QPR if he were to believe his chances of securing first team football would be increased by doing so.
Hughes is clearly a big fan of the Cardiff born attacker, having spent £14m to sign him three and a half years ago. It would take a fee far lower than that to tempt Rodgers into selling this summer.
QPR have already landed some impressive signings this term, including the likes of Robert Green, Andy Johnson, Junior Hoilett and Park-Ji Sung.

NICOLAS GAITAN


Portuguese source Record are today reporting that Liverpool are to make an offer of €18m (£14m) for Benfica playmaker Nicolas Gaitan.
The 24 year old has enjoyed two very competent seasons at Benfica, helping the Lisbon side to mount a very laudable title challenge last term, before losing out in the final weeks of the campaign. The Argentine international may well be tempted by a move to the Premier League and could feel that his side is some way off the pace set by all conquering FC Porto.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is seemingly an admirer of Gaitan and could well be looking to bring in a goal-scoring midfielder, hence his previous interest in Gylfi Sigurdsson, who opted instead for a move to Tottenham over the chance to link up with his former boss.
Gaitan has notched up 13 goals and 25 assists over this two years at the Estadio da Luz and it’s just that type of effective creative talent that Liverpool do with in order to link midfield and attack.
Charlie Adam was brought in last summer to fulfill a similar role but the Scot faded as the season wore and a move to add further flair to his Anfield squad appears to be an area Rodgers will look to invest in this summer.

DIOGO ROSADO


Liverpool and Chelsea target Diogo Rosado has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Premier League clubs, reports talkSPORT.
The former Portugal under-21 captain is available on a free transfer after refusing to sign a new contract with current club Sporting Clube de Portugal and is reportedly interested in a move to the Premier League.
Chelsea and Liverpool both hold a long standing interest in the 22-year-old, who impressed out on loan last season at Primiera League side Feirense.
The 6’1″ central midfielder scored twice in 17 games for the minnows, standing out in a dismal Feirense side that were eventually relegated.
Italian outfit Genoa are also tracking the sylish midfielder, with reports suggesting he had agreed a long-term deal with the Serie A club.
But sources close to the player have denied these rumours, insisting that he has his heart set on a move to the Premier League.
Rosado is yet to make an appearance for Sporting but is highly rated by the Lisbon club
 GASTON RAMIREZ

Gaston Ramirez’s agent arrives in England for Liverpool talks
Liverpool have moved a step closer to landing Bologna winger Gaston Ramirez after his agent arrived in England for talks.
Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is desperate to add some much needed width to his new-look team next season, and has turned to Ramirez after baulking at Fulham’s £10 million asking price for Clint Dempsey.
A fast, agile and elegant left winger who can play up front, Ramirez is rated as one of the finest players in Italy, and has been tracked by Barcelona, AC Milan and the two Manchester clubs in the last six months.
However, it appears that Liverpool, who held initial talks over a deal with Bologna last month, have jumped the queue, with the players agent arriving in England this week to sort out a transfer to the Premier League:
‘Gaston is ready to leave Italy – so much so I am in England for talks with a Premier League club,’ agent Pablo Betancourt told Mercato.
Inter Milan and Tottenham are two other clubs believed to have significant interest in Ramirez, but neither are willing to stump up the £15 million Bologna want for the 21-year-old.

SOURCE: Metro

Moves to bring Gaston Ramirez to Anfield will clearly be helped by the fact that the player is in England representing Uruguay at the 2012 Olympics and this source believes that Liverpool have ‘jumped’ the queue in pursuit of the youngster and that the player’s agent is already in talks with the Merseyside club.

It probably helps that Liverpool already employ two of his national team colleagues, Luis Suarez and Sebatian Coates, and Brendan Rodgers could well do with some extra flair and invention to help boost a midfield that provided little in the way of ammunition for the club’s strikers last term.

Ramirez has been a big success since his move to Serie A two years ago and the 21 year old has been a regular in Bologna’s first team and creating goals and assists aplenty.

Liverpool boss Rodgers will be keen to bring in some new faces and having already brought in Fabio Borini from Serie A will hope to complete a second capture from the Italian top tier in the coming days and weeks.

 JACK BUTLAND

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is apparently keen on landing Birmingham City youngster Jack Butland according to the Daily Mail.
The 19 year old Bristol born keeper was named in Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2012 squad despite having only ever played League Two football and then followed up that surprise call up by being made first choice in Stuart Pearce’s Team GB Olympic football side, and impressing many with his displays.
This source believes that Brad Jones may be offloaded and fellow back-up custodian Doni has not impressed when called upon since his move to Anfield from Roma.
Brendan Rodgers has an eye for youth and Liverpool’s American owners are seemingly keen on financing moves for players with the potential to grow and become part of the club’s long term future and the teenage St Andrews’ goalie fits the bill in that regard.
Though Liverpool’s number one goalkeeping option Pepe Reina is perhaps ones of the most consistent performers in the Premier League, Rodgers may feel that the addition of a quality youngster could help to keep the Spaniard on his toes and conversely Butland could well learn a lot from the 29 year old World Cup winner.

 DANNY AGGER

Manchester City have rocked Liverpool with a £13million bid for defender Daniel Agger.
Liverpool now face a major fight to keep Agger, 27, with Real Madrid and Barcelona also interested.
The Premier League champions lodged their bid with Liverpool last week and had it rejected.
But Agger has already told Anfield chief Brendan Rodgers that he wants out.
The Danish centre-back is expected to confirm within the next two weeks whether he will opt for the Etihad or Spain but City are ready to up their bid to keep him in the Premier League.

SOURCE: Daily Mirror

If Daniel Agger has indeed told new boss Brendan Rodgers that he wants out then Liverpool will clearly have to think long and hard about any offer made for the Danish international, not least because the Anfield side doesn’t have an abundance of central defensive options.

The 27 year old has had a fair amount of injury issues during his six years at Liverpool, hence the determined defender only racking up 105 Premier League starts in seven seasons, but he is still one of the Merseyside club’s most effective players when fully fit.

One wonders what Roberto Mancini has in mind for the Liverpool man. The Italian has a solid centre back pairing in Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany and has Kolo Toure on hand as a back up option, so where would Agger fit into those plans?

Would Agger end up warming the bench at the Etihad Stadium or would he be confident of unseating either Lescott or skipper Kompany?

Liverpool should not be all that surprised that some of their top performers would look to make exits after three particularly lean seasons.

 RAHEEM STERLING

Tottenham are lining up a £7.5 million bid for Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling.
The 17-year-old is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in English football and is wanted on loan by QPR, according to the Daily Mail.
But Spurs are eyeing a permanent deal for Sterling, after being impressed by the youngster in last season’s NextGen youth tournament and in Saturday’s pre-season friendly draw with Liverpool.
It is understood that Spurs believe a bid of £7.5 million may persuade cash-strapped Liverpool to part with the England youth international, who has already made 3 senior appearances for the Reds in the league.
Brendan Rodgers, who succeeded Kenny Dalglish as boss at Anfield last month, has been told to sell before he can buy after Dalglish’s reckless spending left Liverpool with a number of expensive flops.
And pragmatic Rodgers might be prepared to lose future prospect Sterling in order to bolster his first team squad.
Sterling only joined the Merseyside outfit in 2010 from QPR for a fee that could rise to £5 million.
The Hoops wants Sterling to return to west London on loan and Liverpool are thought to be considering their offer.

 ASHLEY WILLIAMS

Rodgers looks to defender Williams to replace City target Agger
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is ready to return to former club Swansea City to sign Wales defender Ashley Williams as Daniel Agger is being targeted by Manchester City.
Rodgers, who would also like to sign Swansea’s GB Olympic star Joe Allen before the end of the transfer window, is bracing himself for Agger’s departure.
The Denmark defender has reached the final two years of his contract and has given no encouragement to the club to extend his deal.

SOURCE: Daily Mail

Liverpool’s interest in midfielder Joe Allen is nothing new but Brendan Rodgers apparent decision to earmark a move for Welsh international centre back Ashley Williams as a potential replacement for Daniel Agger may well worry Swansea City boss Michael Laudrup.

Liberty Stadium chairman Huw Jenkins must have feared that the departure of Rodgers, who was very well thought of by his charges, could lead to a mass exodus of talent this summer. Thus far this has not occurred and Dane Laudrup has brought in a few quality summer signings, most notably landing Rayo Vallecano flair player Michu for just £1.7m. However as long as the transfer window is open the Welsh side must be on their guard.

If Liverpool defender Agger is to leave Anfield then Rodgers will need to act accordingly and determined 27 year old Williams may well be tempted by the chance to move to the Merseyside club.

The Wolverhampton born centre back four and a half seasons at Swansea City, helping them from League One to the Premier League and amassing almost 200 appearances in the process. Indeed Williams has only missed one league match in the past four campaigns and is a crucial member of the Swans squad.

Liverpool do not possess a great many central defensive options as it is and the possible departure of Danish international Agger will make this all the more evident. Rodgers other alternatives include veteran Jamie Carragher, who recently notched up his 700th appearance for the club, Martin Skrtel and youngster Sebastian Coates.

SOURCE : CAUGHTOFFSIDE