Liverpool transfer window preview: Arrivals, needs, and departures
Liverpool have been linked to a very wide variety of players of varying ability and price this summer. Here we take a look at what they need, and who’s likely to be moving in both directions.
Michael Steele
Forwards
Luis Suarez's potential departure is the big move which will define Liverpool's summer, but the Reds have been playing with a pretty fluid front three for most of Brendan Rodgers' tenure, and they'll need forwards of some description regardless. Andy Carroll could also be departing the club and Daniel Sturridge is set to miss the start of the season, so this could be priority number one.
Iago Aspas
The most heavily-linked, Liverpool were hoping to snatch him on a reduced deal after Celta Vigo’s relegation, but they ended up surviving on the last day and the move is still not sealed. A risk at a rumoured price of £8m, since he is not particularly young and has done little with his career up to this year, but is certainly the style of player Liverpool could use in their frontline.
This is one mooted move should Luis Suarez leave the club, although it's hard to see Aston Villa wanting to sell after a solitary season. Would take a pretty enormous bid to persuade them to let go of their star striker, and there may be better alternatives out there.
A Tottenham Hotspur move is more frequently mentioned for the Barcelona striker, but there are suggestions Liverpool have thrown their hat into the ring too. Would not be impossible, but Liverpool would have to do some serious shifting of their wage structure to sign him.
Defenders
Definitely the biggest problem position for Liverpool. They've already moved to sign Kolo Toure, but that won't be enough, and one name in particular stands out as being most likely:
Kyriakos Papadopoulos
The Schalke centre-back may be young and slightly rough around the edges, but is still a huge talent in a position where Liverpool are absolutely desperate for reinforcements. £13.5m is the rumoured bid from the Reds, but they will surely have to increase that if they are to tempt the German club into selling.
Tiago Ilori
Another young centre-back, although a far less expensive option that will probably not be signed as first choice, the Sporting Lisbon defender has also been touted for a move to Anfield to bolster the defensive ranks. Hard to see much stopping this one from going through, as there appears to be little competition and Sporting are in desperate need of funds.
Others
Henrik Mkhitaryan
The Armenian playmaker has come in for high praise for his recent displays at Shakhtar Donetsk, and is a supremely versatile player that would add something to almost any squad. A very complete option who, while not the position the Reds are most crying out for, would certainly be an exciting acquisition. At £22m, however, it would be a large chunk of their transfer budget gone while other buys are needed. In addition, the player has also been linked with a host of bigger clubs who could intervene were Liverpool to make a move.
This deal would only take place were Pepe Reina to leave Anfield this summer, although noises from Wearside suggest that Sunderland are far from keen to sell their star goalkeeper. A sizeable bid would be needed to tempt them into selling, although it's certainly possible, and Liverpool are unlikely to take any risks with such an important position.
See above. Would probably be easier to tempt away from Stoke City, but only slightly.
Christian Eriksen
Has gone slightly off the boil of late, but still a colossal talent with the potential to be world-class. The big obstacle for Liverpool is that Borussia Dortmund are also rumoured to be interested, and there are suggestions the player would prefer a move to BVB over Liverpool.
Departures
Luis Suarez
The elephant in the room, with the striker’s departure set to define how the Reds go about their business this window. Real Madrid have been the suitors most touted, but Atletico Madrid are said to be interested too as they look to replace Falcao, while Bayern Munich may actually be the under-reported favourites. An offer of around 40 million euros will surely tempt the Reds to sell, and will free up money for reinvestment as they look to replace him.
Pepe Reina
There were strong rumours that Reina would go to Barcelona to replace the outgoing Victor Valdes, although these appear to have quietened down recently, and that probably makes sense. Reina hasn’t been a top-tier goalkeeper even in the Premier League, let alone the world, for a good two or three seasons now, and in all likelihood he’ll extend his contract and remain at Anfield.
Two odd rumours here, one linking the player to reunite with Rafael Benitez at Napoli, a suggestion which went quiet following some standard denials from the player's agent, before a more bizarre rumour surfaced suggesting Arsenal were going to make a move for the player. It's hard to see either happening, but it's less hard to see the centre-back being shown the door in one way or another this summer.
Andy Carroll
Has stalled on a move to West Ham, who have now been making bids for other strikers, so that particular move may be dead, but there were suggestions that Newcastle would look to bring the striker back home. There may be other suitors, and the striker is certainly very likely to leave, but this one may take a while to resolve.
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