Rodgers wants attacking addition, Mkhitaryan negotiations continue

The Liverpool squad returned to Melwood for pre-season training yesterday and manager Brendan Rodgers insists the club need to add to their four signings so far.

The Times report that Rodgers is keen to bring in more new signings before the club head to Asia for their pre-season tour in a fortnight. Rodgers is quoted by Sky Sports explaining the desire to add an attacking player and a defender:

“Certainly another attacking player will really benefit us and probably another defender.”

That attacking player has been the story of the summer, with regards possible signings, namely Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Liverpool Echo report on the Armenian and young centre back Tiago Ilori this morning, saying that the club are looking to secure deals for both, but:

Both transfers are still some way from completion as negotiations continue.

Reports last weekend from Eastern Europe claimed a deal had been agreed for the Shaktar Donetsk midfielder and that the transfer would be completed “within 72 hours”. Of course, that has not materialised but it hasn’t stopped some websites regurgitating the same headlines and adding to fans frustrations.

There are still almost two months left of the transfer window, Rodgers said “We’ll see how it develops over the course of the next few months.”

There had been suggestions over the past few days that the hold up in Mkhitaryan’s signing was due to Liverpool needing to sell players to fund the deal but this is not the information we understand. All initial reports linking Mkhitaryan to Anfield said Liverpool’s interest in him was irrespective of Luis Suarez’s future.

BBC Sport football editor Phil McNulty explained on twitter yesterday that the deal is “exactly as Liverpool feared. A long drawn out business.”

Mkhitaryan’s complicated ownership situation appears to be the major stumbling block and is likely also be the reason for so many contrasting reports with information being leaked by different parties. Patience is required!

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