Liverpool gossips
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Steven Defour
Liverpool are reportedly set to make a bid for Standard Liege midfielder Steven Defour.
The 22-year-old has been the subject of interest from Manchester United, but the Daily Mirror suggests that the Merseysiders are set to do battle with their great rivals for his signature.
Alex Ferguson is known to be a long-term admirer of the Belgium international, and the United boss even sent the former RC Genk man a personal message of encouragement after the playmaker broke his leg last September.
Prior to his injury, Defour was regarded as one of the hottest prospects in European football; reportedly catching the eye of Arsenal and Real Madrid among others.
Defour is a versatile midfielder - equally as comfortable in a free role or as a holding player - and has been compared to Paul Scholes in his pomp. And, with Argentina captain Javier Mascherano nearing the exit at Anfield, Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is keen to fill the void that will be left by the Inter Milan target.
Despite signing a new contract with Standard in March, Defour's agent has offered his suitors hope in their pursuit.
"If a club agrees a fee with Standard and us, then it is possible he will leave," said Paul Stefani.
Liverpool have been linked with an array of midfielders with Defour and West Ham's Scott Parker recently added to the alleged list of targets, which reportedly includes Christian Poulsen and Stilyan Petrov.
Peter Crouch
Harry Redknapp is ready to sell Peter Crouch as he gears up for some major wheeler-dealing at Tottenham.
Crouch has followed Redknapp to many clubs and been bought and sold several times by him, but this latest potential exit will come as a surprise to him.
Redknapp is looking for more strength in his attack and insiders reveal Crouch was being teed up for a sale to Fulham before manager Roy Hodgson left for Liverpool.
Successor Mark Hughes may be interested in the leggy front man, who controversially turned down Fulham a year ago - he'll decide this week.
Hodgson is a possible bidder for Crouch if the price is right and a sensational return to Liverpool is not out of the question.
And England star Crouch could be pitched into the Tottenham move for West Ham midfield dynamo Scott Parker.
Maynor Figueroa
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is preparing a £5million bid for Wigan's Honduras star Maynor Figueroa.
Hodgson will make a renewed effort to raid the Latics for Figueroa after his snub from Luke Young.
Figueora appeared in all three of Honduras' games at the World Cup and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez faces a fight to keep him.
Stoke have also registered their interest for the 27-year-old left-back, who shot to Barclays Premier League stardom with his stunning 60-yard goal against the Potters last season.
Scott Parker
Liverpool are set to make an £8million bid for Scott Parker.
Anfield boss Roy Hodgson has pinpointed the West Ham midfielder as the man to replace Javier Mascherano, who is set to join Inter Milan in a £20m deal.
The Hammers hierarchy have insisted that Parker is the one player they will not sell this summer.
"Not at any price," said chairman David Sullivan.
That has not stopped Tottenham declaring their interest.
And just as Liverpool allowed Spurs and Arsenal to make the running in the pursuit of Joe Cole, before stealing their thunder, they are poised to strike again with Parker. The key issue is whether West Ham will relax their tough stance.
The Upton Park club have been boosted by the news that Robert Green wants to stay and they are likely to start talks soon with Matthew Upson about a new contract.
Upson's current deal expires at the end of this season and he would qualify for a free transfer but West Ham want to avoid that scenario.
Meanwhile, Hodgson's attempts to land Christian Poulsen have been given a boost after the Juventus midfielder's agent said it was an "honour" to be linked with Liverpool.
Joern Bonnesen, his agent, said: "There has not been any contact and there is not much more that can be said until there has been, but we know there's an interest from them."
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STAYING PUT ... Fernando TorresFERNANDO TORRES has ended speculation about his future by declaring: Liverpool are the best club in England.
The Spanish striker has been heavily linked with Double winners Chelsea and big-spending Manchester City.
But new Reds boss Roy Hodgson has convinced him to remain at Anfield.
Torres, 26, said: "I really appreciated the fact that Roy came out to see me while I was on holiday.
"He told me about his plans for the club and what he wanted from me and I appreciated that.
"I hope he will be the right man to reach the targets of Liverpool Football Club and I am really looking forward to working with him.
"This is the best club in the country so the targets and expectations are always high."
Torres, who is currently recovering from a groin injury, added: "I am really happy to be back, really happy to stay with all my team-mates.
"My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed.
"I am looking forward to the challenge ahead."
Torres admits the arrival of Joe Cole, combined with skipper Steven Gerrard pledging his future to the club, helped erase any lingering thoughts of leaving Liverpool.
The Spaniard added: "I was talking to Stevie a lot and I also met with Joe.
"I think Joe is exactly the kind of player we need to improve the history of our club.
"We are keeping our best players and so it's nice to be back with them. Hopefully we can play together as soon as possible.
"At the moment I am training just on my own but as soon as I can I will train with the team and with the new manager."
Christian Poulsen
Liverpool are poised to step up their attempts to land Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen.
Though the Reds are awaiting the next move from Inter Milan in their pursuit of Javier Mascherano, they pressing on with plans for life without the Argentinean.
Once Inter strike a deal with Manchester City for the sale of Mario Balotelli, they will be better placed to push through their bid to take Mascherano to the San Siro.
The Reds are looking at a number of options to replace Mascherano and Poulsen, the Denmark international, and Standard Liege's Steven Defour head Roy Hodgson's list.
But it is looking more likely that Poulsen - a player who is well known to Hodgson - is the frontrunner after sources in Denmark revealed further discussions have taken place between the Reds and Juve.
Poulsen's adviser Joern Bonnesen has not spoken with Liverpool directly - nor has Poulsen - but it understood he could end up at Anfield for a fee in the region of 6million euros.
Bonnesen has also let it be known that his client would love to work with Hodgson - who was his former manager at FC Copenhagen - again if the opportunity arose.
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POULSEN ... Reds targetLIVERPOOL have paved the way for Javier Mascherano's Anfield exit by opening talks with Dane Christian Poulsen.
New boss Roy Hodgson wants Juventus star Poulsen to bolster his midfield and the clubs are negotiating a £6million move.
Once the Denmark international's signing is confirmed, that could see Argentine hardman Mascherano packing his bags to link up with former gaffer Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan.
Mascherano, 26, told Hodgson last week he wanted a move but the Reds - who have slapped a £25m price tag on him - want a replacement sorting out first.
Poulsen, 30, has worked under Hodgson before and won the Danish title with him at Copenhagen nine years ago.
And he would be the Englishman's first signing as summer arrivals Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic, Danny Wilson and Jonjo Shelvey were all lined up before he took charge.
TARGET ... Daniel PachecoLIVERPOOL striker Dani Pacheco is wanted by SEVEN clubs.
The Spanish ace, 19, has been the No 1 target for Real Sociedad but Malaga, Mallorca, Espanyol, Levante, Benfica and Genoa are also interested.
A close pal said: "Spain is his favourite destination."
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NUMBER HUANG BIDDER ... Kenny wants to be Kop kingKENNY HUANG faces stiff competition in his battle to be Liverpool's new owner.
The Premier League has tough new rules governing who can take over top-flight clubs and a number of potential bidders have registered their interest in buying the Anfield club.
A Kop insider said: "Kenny is in the spotlight but there are three or four other genuine bidders. The club is treating them all seriously."
The Premier League now insist on prospective new owners giving them 10 days notice of a takeover and prove they have the funds to sustain the club.
The new rules were brought in to avoid a repeat of Portsmouth's financial meltdown after several botched takeovers.
Other rule changes mean clubs must provide evidence every quarter that they are up to date with tax payments to Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs - and they will give permission for HMRC to give details on any non-payment to the league.
The old 'fit and proper persons test' is now the 'owners and directors test' and toughened up.
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ASSET ... Fernando TorresROY HODGSON admits Liverpool would not be able to turn down a massive offer for Fernando Torres.
New Liverpool boss Hodgson received a massive boost earlier this week when Torres ended uncertainty about his future by pledging his commitment to the club.
But he admits the World Cup winner could still move on if the price is right.
The 62-year-old said: "The important thing for Fernando and for us is that we have a good season — he as a player, us as a club and me as a manager.
"Who knows what this season will bring? We could have a fantastic season and the players will not want to go anywhere, or we could have a worse one and there will be more speculation.
"It could be he does so fantastically well an offer comes in like the £80million offer Manchester United had for Cristiano Ronaldo, which is impossible to turn down.
"But we will take that problem when and if it arises. The important thing is it hasn't arisen this summer because he is going to be playing for us.
"He is committed to playing for us and he is going to honour his contract and it is good for me he has made it clear he likes the club and the fans.
"It is nice now the speculation can finally end once and for all after Fernando made it clear how absolutely committed he is."
While Hodgson knows Torres and Reds skipper Steven Gerrard are happy to remain at Anfield, he accepts Javier Mascherano could leave.
He added: "I think it will be slightly more difficult to persuade Javier to stay if a big offer comes in from a club he wants to go to.
"But the good thing is we haven't had that yet and as a result I can continue to work with him and just wait for the day, if it comes, when an offer comes in.
"If it was the offer that meets our valuation and he wants to go then I don't know if my powers of persuasion will be much good in that situation.
"But maybe they will never be needed because we might not get the offer and he might stay with us anyway."
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KOP CONTENDER ... Mukesh AmbaniINDIAN billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Subrata Roy face the Chinese government in the battle to buy Liverpool.
The tycoons tabled their bid for the Reds nine months after failing to buy a 51 per cent share in the Anfield outfit.
They join at least four other interested buyers including Chinese businessman Kenny Huang, who has already held talks about buying Liverpool's £237million debt off the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Huang, backed by the £209bn Chinese Investment Corporation, was favourite to replace unpopular Yank owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
He is said to be backing boss Roy Hodgson with a £150m transfer kitty.
But the Anfield auction is now wide open.
An insider said: "Some potential buyers have declared their interest but haven't tabled a bid, whereas Ambani and Roy have put their money on the table.
"At this stage Liverpool are happy to let everyone compete against each other to squeeze out the best possible deal."
Ambani, valued at around £12.5bn, is rated India's richest man, while fellow billionaire Roy, 62, is head of the Sahara Group which sponsored the India cricket team.
Hicks and Gillett valued Reds at £600m after Huang's interest emerged.
Meanwhile, new Reds boss Roy Hodgson insists he would be more disappointed if his old chairman Mohamed Fayed had NOT put the boot in when he left Fulham.
Fayed said he would take Liverpool downhill but Hodgson said: "His comments were pretty jocular.
"I'd have been disappointed if he said 'we didn't want him anyway'.
"It's more flattering than if he'd said 'who cares'."
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Wah... China vs India...
Nice thread anyway... All in one here... so cool... lol.
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Originally posted by zocoss:
Wah... China vs India...
Nice thread anyway... All in one here... so cool... lol.
yaloh.. 2 Asian giants fighting for 1 angmo club, haha.. -
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Brad Jones
Championship side Middlesbrough have rejected Liverpool's bid for goalkeeper Brad Jones.
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson
is keen to bring in Jones to provide cover and competition for No.1 keeper Pepe Reina.The Reds are believed to have tabled a £2million bid for the 28-year-old as they look to tie up a deal before the close of the transfer window.
However, Middlesbrough
are understood to have shunned Liverpool's bid as Gordon Strachan looks to keep hold of the keeper.It remains to be seen if Liverpool will come back with a new, improved bid for Jones or switch their attentions elsewhere.
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Le Havre Athletic Club
France U19 skipper Gueida Fofana has been linked with a move to Liverpool, Barcelona or Chelsea.
The teenage midfielder led his team to the U19 European Championships recently, and after breaking through into the Le Harve first team last season, he has stated to Sky Sports that he is aware of the interest being shown in him.
"I am feeling great after winning the Euros, we played really well and deserved to win," he said.
"I have heard that there are teams interested in me, but nothing concrete has come out as yet. If I have to leave here (Le Havre), I want to make sure it is on good terms."
Fofana has a year left on his contract at Le Harve and his displays at the European Championships will surely attract interest from many of Europe's top clubs.
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that jones thing damn wtf, i was wondering why would we need another gk?
Cavalieri is fine with me, not much issue when called upon.
Poulsen is good, but abit old liao, if pricing is right i wont mind. defour is another good choice, but i doubt whether we got the money to get him
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LOAN STAR ... Philipp DegenLIVERPOOL have loaned right-back Philipp Degen to Stuttgart for the season.
The Swiss defender, 27, moved to Anfield on a free transfer in 2008 from Borussia Dortmund.
But he has been told he does not feature in new Reds boss Roy Hodgson's plans.
The move sees Degen reunited with Stuttgart coach Christian Gross, the pair having worked together at Basel.
Degen, who has 31 caps, said: "For me this loan represents a great chance to rediscover my best form."
Stuttgart finished sixth in the Bundasliga last season, a result that qualified them for the Europa League.
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Originally posted by Poignant:
that jones thing damn wtf, i was wondering why would we need another gk?
Cavalieri is fine with me, not much issue when called upon.
Poulsen is good, but abit old liao, if pricing is right i wont mind. defour is another good choice, but i doubt whether we got the money to get him
yea, i also dun understand why Roy wants to sign another GK..
uhmm maybe he wants to have 3 senior GKs @ his disposal?
as David Martin just left not long ago..
but that prob can be tackled by using an academy GK as a 3rd choice replacement..
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Originally posted by a-Lost-9uY:LOAN STAR ... Philipp Degen
LIVERPOOL have loaned right-back Philipp Degen to Stuttgart for the season.
The Swiss defender, 27, moved to Anfield on a free transfer in 2008 from Borussia Dortmund.
But he has been told he does not feature in new Reds boss Roy Hodgson's plans.
The move sees Degen reunited with Stuttgart coach Christian Gross, the pair having worked together at Basel.
Degen, who has 31 caps, said: "For me this loan represents a great chance to rediscover my best form."
Stuttgart finished sixth in the Bundasliga last season, a result that qualified them for the Europa League.
not yet on liverpool's site
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Originally posted by Poignant:
not yet on liverpool's site
Liverpool defender Philipp Degen is set to join German club Stuttgart on a season-long loan after being told he was not in new manager Roy Hodgson's plans for the new season.
Degen, who was brought to Anfield from Borussia Dortmund in 2008, moves back to the Bundesliga to be reunited with Stuttgart coach Christian Gross, the pair having worked together at Basel.
The club's general manager Fredi Bobic told ZDF: "Philipp Degen will arrive for his medical on Friday and, if this all works out, then he will sign his contract. We have reached an agreement with the club and also with the player."
"For me this loan represents a great chance to rediscover my best form," Degen said.
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Liverpool, who had a £2 million bid for Middlesbrough keeper Brad Jones rebuffed yesterday could have Christian Poulsen on board by early next week.
Joern Bonnesen, the player's adviser, returned to Denmark yesterday after holding positive discussions with Liverpool's board and hppes a deal will be concluded swiftly.
"My impression is that Liverpool Football Club is bursting with optimism and great excitement for the forthcoming season," said Bonnesen.
"Most certainly Christian Poulsen is Roy Hodgson's man. He has been handpicked by Roy to play the role of holding midfielder."
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defour also man united target.
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REIN MAN ... Gunners want star stopper PepeARSENAL have launched a stunning £23million raid for Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.
Arsene Wenger sees the Kop star as the man to solve his problem position.
And the Gunners boss is prepared to go up to £25m to land the Spaniard.
But Wenger knows he faces a massive battle to lure one of Liverpool's prize assets away from Anfield. He had been eyeing Fulham's Mark Schwarzer but the chance of getting Reina, 27, is far more mouth-watering.
Reina, a £6million buy from Villarreal five years ago, signed a new six-year deal at Liverpool in April.
He missed Thursday's Europa League win over Rabotnicki after only returning to training on Monday - together with the rest of the club's Spanish and Dutch World Cup stars.
Wenger is desperate to sign a top keeper after both Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski copped a stream of criticism for a series of clangers over the past 12 months.
But Liverpool insist they do not want - or need - to sell any of their big stars.
And the prospect of new ownership bringing a huge cash injection to Anfield leaves Wenger with a major fight on his hands.
RED ALERT ... Baggies want NgogDAVID NGOG remains on West Brom's wanted list.
The Baggies saw their efforts to sign the Liverpool striker, 21, come to nothing last month.
But Albion boss Roberto Di Matteo is hoping that Fernando Torres' recent decision to stay at Anfield will prompt the Reds to let Ngog leave on loan.
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HUANG ... takeover bidLIVERPOOL'S potential new owners aim to turn the Reds into the biggest spenders on the planet.
Marc Ganis, whose Sportscorp company have helped form a group of Chinese investors, has outlined the four main objectives which will be formally made to Anfield bosses shortly.
Ganis has revealed they are pledging to remove all the club's debt, build the long-awaited new stadium, take the Asian market by storm and invest heavily in top-class playing talent.
He said: "Liverpool should be one of the highest-spending clubs.
"Our financial models presume they will be at or near the top in spending on players every year.
"We haven't submitted a formal proposal but we submitted the broad parameters to see if it would be welcomed - and it was."
The Chinese bid is fronted by QSL Sports Ltd and headed by Kenny Huang and Guang Yang.
If successful, they would be the only owners involved in the running of the club.
Other backers such as China Investment Corp - the country's sovereign wealth fund - would be "passive investors," with no more than a 20 share in the Merseysiders.
But no takeover will be sealed before the end of this transfer window.
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Originally posted by Rooney9:
defour also man united target.
yea, he is.. and i did mention on "Manchester United gossips" tread, do take a look
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BID ... Kenny Huang
THE Chinese investors desperate to take over Liverpool will set the wheels in motion by tabling an official offer early this week.
Kenny Huang, the businessman whose QSL Sports Ltd company fronts the plan, will make a £400million bid.
And that could spark an auction for England's most successful club.
Other interested parties like Yahya Kirdi's Syrian consortium and American equity firm The Rhone Group would then be duty bound to show their hand.
Yet it is unlikely anything will be completed before the end of the transfer window, leaving boss Roy Hodgson to rely on cut-price deals and cash from sales to strengthen his squad.
Huang would co-run Liverpool with fellow businessman Guang Yang.
China Investment Corp, the government's sovereign wealth fund, would take a passive interest in the daily management.
Co-owner Tom Hicks wants £600m-800m for the club he and George Gillett bought three years ago and who they sent £237m into debt.
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Shaun Wright-Phillips
Liverpool are winning their battle with Arsenal for Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The England winger has been told he can leave Manchester City for about £7million. But Arsenal are unwilling to pay him more than the £65,000 a week he earns at City.
That has opened the door for Roy Hodgson to beat Arsene Wenger again after the Liverpool boss persuaded Joe Cole to move to Anfield ahead of the Emirates.
Wright-Phillips turned down City's offer of a £10,000-a-week wage hike at the end of last season.
Roberto Mancini preferred Adam Johnson and Craig Bellamy on the flanks late last season and will add Aston Villa's James Milner to his squad this week after also signing David Silva from Valencia.
Brad Jones
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson will make a new £2million bid for Middlesbrough keeper Brad Jones today.
The Kop are upping their original offer and Boro are set to accept the fee for the big Australian, who will be allowed to head to Merseyside as the main competition for No.1 Pepe Reina.
Boro were holding out for £3m, but have now lowered their demands and Jones will make the move to Anfield as a 'home-grown player' under new Premier League rules, because of the time he has spent in England.
Jones sat out Boro's 3-1 defeat against Ipswich because he was suspended.
But the ban is now served, making him free to sit on the Liverpool bench against Arsenal on Sunday.
Boro will now bid for Crystal Palace's Julian Speroni as a replacement.
Palace will turn to veteran Richard Wright to fill the dependable Argentine's gloves.
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LATE DANE ... Liverpool could land Poulsen just before the season startsCHRISTIAN POULSEN'S transfer to Liverpool has moved a step closer after he pulled out of the Denmark squad for tomorrow's clash with Germany.
The Juventus central midfielder, 30, is set for talks in the next 48 hours about a £6million switch.
Meanwhile, the Kop takeover war has taken another twist, with the Middle East consortium fronted by Yahya Kirdi claiming they are near to a deal.
The Syrian tycoon is the American owners' preferred bidder as he is prepared to pay £600m - close to their asking price.
DEGEN GONE ... flop Phil is outPHILIPP DEGEN has joined Stuttgart on a season-long loan.
The Liverpool right-back, 27, was signed on a free from fellow Germans Borussia Dortmund in 2008.
Degen said: "It's great to be working with Stuttgart coach Christian Gross again. I had a successful time with him at Basel."
Fabio Aurelio
Fabio Aureliao will wear the No.6 on the back of his shirt next season.The Brazilian re-signed at Anfield last week after initially failing to renegotiate his contract under Rafael Benitez.
But instead of reclaiming his old No.12 shirt, Aurelio has plumped for a number worn in the past by the likes of Emlyn Hughes, Alan Hansen, Markus Babbel and John Arne Riise.
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Carlton Cole
Liverpool have made enquiries to sign West Ham's Carlton Cole, but have been put off by a valuation in excess of £10 million.
West Ham centre-forward Cole has rejected a move to Stoke City, but he would be open to the possibility of moving to Anfield this summer.
Soccernet understands Tony Pulis was prepared to blow his entire Stoke budget on signing the striker, who on Saturday was named in Fabio Capello's latest England squad, only to be rejected.
However, if a big club came in with a bid that equalled or topped Stoke's, then the Hammers could well sell their star striker. An insider told Soccernet: "Carlton would like a move to Liverpool, but they are short on funds as everyone knows."
West Ham have brought five new players to the club already this summer and are now in the process of reviewing potential sales.
Stoke's offer for Cole would have brought them close to the £12 million valuation West Ham have now placed on Cole, though at the start of the summer they thought he might even fetch £15 million.
Liverpool have made another inquiry about West Ham's Carlton Cole.
Liverpool expect to finalise a £5.5m deal for Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen within the next 24 hours and are mulling over an improved offer for Middlesbrough goalkeeper Brad Jones.
But manager Roy Hodgson has made another striker his next priority.
That looks like hinging on cash from the sale of Javier Mascherano though after West Ham also quoted Liverpool £12m on England international Cole.
Stoke had an offer rebuffed for Cole at the weekend but he does not want to go there even if a fee is agreed and is keen for Liverpool to maintain interest.
