It may be several months until the summer transfer window opens, but that doesn’t stop the constant speculation. We take a look at which players have been linked with moves to and from Liverpool over the weekend.
Liverpool’s season took another giant leap forward on Sunday, following their brilliant 2-1 win over champions Manchester City.
Brendan Rodgers’ side are getting better and better by the week, and his summer signings, ridiculed by many earlier on in the campaign, are really starting to come to the fore.
Emre Can has been a revelation, Adam Lallana, Alberto Moreno and Lazar Markovic are class acts who will only improve, and even Dejan Lovren is showing hints of improvement.
Here are the rumours that have emerged over the weekend, with potential ins and outs making the back pages:
Stevan Jovetic
According to the Mirror, the Reds are willing to offer a deal to Jovetic, ending his City nightmare in the process.
The 25-year-old has fallen completely out of favour with the champions this season, and he was even excluded from City’s Champions League squad in place of new signing Wilfried Bony.
The Montenegro star is a hugely talented footballer, and his vision and class would be the perfect fit in Rodgers’ squad.
The Reds boss has a history of signing players who have struggled at previous clubs and resurrecting their careers – Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge are perfect examples of this – and Jovetic could be the same in that respect.
Milner has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield for several months now, and the Express reports that he needs to drop his wages in order to seal a move this summer.
The 29-year-old has struggled to feature regularly in Manuel Pellegrini’s team of late, with the likes of David Silva and Samir Nasri often preferred.
Milner is a free agent at the end of the season, and if he does agree to lower his current £120,000 wages, he would be a shrewd acquisition by Rodgers.
The England international takes plenty of stick, often very unfairly, but his combination of industry, versatility and consistency would undoubtedly strengthen Liverpool’s squad.
Alvaro Morata
The Express also claims that Liverpool are in a bidding war with Arsenal for the services of the highly-rated Morata.
The 22-year-old Spain international has done well at Juventus since joining from Real Madrid last summer, ousting Fernando Llorente in the Old Lady attack and scoring nine times.
Despite Morata’s impressive form, the Serie A giants are reportedly lining up Palermo striker Paulo Dybala in the summer, deeming the former Madrid man surplus to requirements.
The Spaniard is not necessarily suited to Rodgers’ style- tall, strong and lacking in pace a little- but he would represent something different, and is at an age where he has plenty of room for improvement.
Asier Illarramendi
The Metro is far from the most reliable source of transfer news, but this feels a little more likely than some of the rubbish they churn out.
They claim that Liverpool are interested in bringing £17.5million-rated Illarramendi to the club this summer, as they look for long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard.
The 24-year-old is struggling to become a permanent fixture in Real Madrid’s side, with world-class midfielders like Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, when fit, first-choice under Carlo Ancelotti.
The Spain international is a class act though, dictating the pace of games and using the ball excellently. He is more like Xabi Alonso than Gerrard in many ways.
With Gerrard leaving and Lucas Leiva potentially fading as time goes by, depth is needed in the middle of the park. Illarramendi would be a terrific purchase.
Mario Balotelli
The unpredictable Metro also reports that Gerrard isn’t the only Reds player on his way to America in the summer, with Balotelli reportedly set to move to the MLS too.
The 24-year-old has endured a pretty miserable first season as a Liverpool player, scoring just one Premier League goal, and Orlando City are reportedly interested in acquiring his services.
It’s hard to imagine the Reds producing the performance they did against City on Sunday with Balotelli leading the line, and it appears Rodgers knows the Italian is not a part of his future plans.
There is a huge talent hidden somewhere inside the former Inter and AC Milan star, but it looks as though nobody will ever truly get to see it. A move to the MLS would be a waste, but would rather sum up how his career has failed to take off.
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