Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that the club will be working right until the close of this month’s transfer deadline to try and bring quality players into the club. The Reds have yet to make any additions in January, having lost out on the capture of Mohamed Salah to Chelsea.
However, Rodgers has made no secret of the fact that, on the back of a recent spate of injuries, he believes his squad is in need of strengthening if they are to maintain their push for a Champions League place.
“There's certainly nothing imminent,” he conceded, according to Liverpool’s official website. “But we always felt if we could do then it was something we wanted to do. I said all along this was a group that we needed that wee bit of luck with to keep clear of injury and unfortunately we've been hit by a bad run of injuries.
"I'm just reluctant to bring in anyone that is just going to stockpile players. We need to bring in players that are really going to affect the starting XI. And if we can't do that, then we won't be doing anything. The club is working hard on that to find the players; it's just a very difficult market to find the player and do a deal and to get it over the line. We won't stop until the very end and hopefully we can."
With Salah having been stolen from under their noses, Sky Sports is claiming that Liverpool have turned their attentions to another winger, in the shape of Blackpool’s Tom Ince. The England Under-21 international, who came up through the youth ranks with Liverpool before leaving in 2011, has been linked with a return to Anfield since last summer. Swansea City, along with Sunderland, Stoke, Crystal Palace and Hull, are also said to be pursuing the 21-year-old. The probability of his exit has increased since his father, former Liverpool midfielder Paul Ince, was dismissed as manager last week.
With a recent injury suffered by Lucas Leiva, Rodgers may also be in the market for a central midfielder. The Sunday Times believes one of the players being targeted by Rodgers is Benfica’s Andre Gomes. A deal may be hard to get done, however, with the Portugal Under-21 international’s importance to the Lisbon club having increased since the departure of the man he was previously playing second fiddle to, Nemanja Matic.
The Daily Express has a different take, claiming that Liverpool have inquired with Spartak Moscow about the prospect of signing their midfielder Romulo. The 23-year-old Brazil international is a player of massive potential and made a strong start to his time in Russia, yet has been out with a cruciate knee ligament injury since September 2012. Given that Liverpool are looking for a player to come in and make an immediate impact, he would make an odd target.
Another midfielder is also linked by the Daily Mail, with Liverpool scouts said to have watched Rayo Vallecano’s Saul Niguez in action against Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Niguez, who can also play at center-back -- as he did against Atletico -- is valued at around £8 million and is also said to be attracting the interest of Manchester United and Arsenal. However, it is reported that Liverpool met with the 19-year-old’s father last week.
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