Liverpool Transfer News: Salah, Rakitic, Tello And Hughes Discussed In Latest January Rumors getdiscountz.blogspot.com

getdiscountz.blogspot.com ® Liverpool Transfer News: Salah, Rakitic, Tello And Hughes Discussed In Latest January Rumors

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has not been shy in stating that he is eager for the club to add to his squad in January and the Reds continue to be linked with several new signings. The Reds have recruited significantly in each transfer window since Rodgers took the reins and with Liverpool having a real chance of securing a return to the Champions League, this month is unlikely to prove any different.

Speaking earlier this week, Rodgers confirmed that the club was working vigorously to bring in the right players, while also denying that any deal was close to completion.

"There's nothing to add on anything with regard to players coming in,” he said, according to Liverpool’s official website. “There's nothing imminent.

"Obviously the recruitment team are busy putting things together in terms of the profile of players we need here to improve the team and the squad. The owners have invested millions upon millions into the team; every window we arrive in looking to improve it where we can. This window will be no different.”

The most advanced transfer appears to be for FC Basel winger Mohamed Salah, with recent reports even suggesting that a £7 million fee has been agreed between the sides. Local publication the Liverpool Echo, though, has asserted their understanding that such claims are jumping the gun, with only initial talks having taken place over a deal.

Salah was an impressive presence for Basel as they reached the semifinals of the Europa League last season and the Morocco international scored in both of his club’s victories over Chelsea in the Champions League this term.

It appears that a new wide man features highly on Liverpool’s list of priorities with the club again being strongly linked with Barcelona’s Cristian Tello. The 22-year-old signed a new contract at the Camp Nou last season but has continued to find first-team opportunities difficult to come by, starting just two games combined in La Liga and the Champions League this campaign.

Spanish sports daily Marca recently claimed that the Spain Under-21 international was on the verge of a move to Anfield.

The main transfer objective that Liverpool missed out on during the summer was a quality No. 10. Their leading target Henrikh Mkhitaryan opted to join Borussia Dortmund of moving to Anfield. While Jordan Henderson has performed admirably in that position of late, Liverpool may still be looking for a more creative figure to fill the role. The Reds are one of a number of clubs to be linked with Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic, who has just 18 months remaining on his contract with the La Liga side. Perturbed by the number of high-profile departures from the club in recent times, the Croatia international has again been coy about his future.

"Now, news does not exist about my future," he said, according to Sky Sports.

"I have returned from my holidays and during these dates I did not use the phone. I will attend a meeting with the Sevilla directors and speak with calm. After, I will decide the best option for me in all senses."

Meanwhile, recent reports suggest that it is a matter of time before highly rated Derby Country midfielder Will Hughes moves to Anfield. The England Under-21 international has been linked to the majority of the Premier League’s big clubs for some time, but the Daily Mirror now claims that Liverpool have secured a first-option deal on the talented 18-year-old. The arrangement was reportedly secured after Liverpool allowed young defender Andre Wisdom to remain on loan with Derby for the remainder of the season.

Follow Jason Le Miere on Twitter

Liverpool Transfer News: Salah, Rakitic, Tello And Hughes Discussed In Latest January Rumors

Manchester United Transfer News: Reus, Rakitic, Fernando And Benatia Involved In Latest Rumors getdiscountz.blogspot.com

getdiscountz.blogspot.com ® Manchester United Transfer News: Reus, Rakitic, Fernando And Benatia Involved In Latest Rumors

Despite being in the midst of a hectic run of fixtures, thoughts around Manchester United continue to turn toward next month’s transfer window. Under Sir Alex Ferguson the club rarely did any major business in January, but things are set to be very different in the first mid-season window for new boss David Moyes.

Ferguson’s replacement has been open about the fact that he did not get the players he wanted in the summer and that the squad still needs much improvement. Having also revealed that he perhaps should have let some players go in the summer, it is likely to be a busy month at Old Trafford. And the chief focus is again set to be the midfield.

Big money was spent on Marouane Fellaini in the summer, but the Belgian has yet to convince that he is the man to fill a holding midfield role at United, while the former Everton man also has to undergo surgery on a wrist injury. One logical target for Moyes, should he want to further strengthen that position, would surely be FC Porto’s Fernando.

Having become an increasingly integral part of Porto’s success since being signed from Brazil in 2007, the time may now be right for him to make a move. The 26-year-old will be out of contract next summer and has just received Portuguese citizenship, meaning that United would not have to worry about attaining a work permit for the former Brazil Under-20 international.

United may have to act fast with Fernando having been linked with clubs in Italy, and specifically champions Juventus, of late. According to quotes published by the Daily Express, the player’s agent Antonio Araujo says all possibilities remain open.

“Fernando would be very happy to play in Italy,” he is reported to have said. “I cannot talk much about it. The market reopened within weeks, we'll see later. It's a situation to analyze. You can leave Portugal in January or at the end of the season”

Also desperately lacking from United’s midfield this season has been creativity. The Daily Mirror reports that one man who the Premier League champions could target to help alleviate that deficiency is Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic. The Croatia international has been a key part of Sevilla’s side for several seasons, but has watched as the rest of the club’s leading performers have been sold off.

With the club struggling for European qualification and the 25-year-old’s contract set to expire in the summer of 2015, Rakitic admits that he does not know what the future holds.

“A football player can never say with certainty that he will remain in his club," he reportedly told Slovenian website Nogomania. "Such is the nature of our business. I'm in Seville for three years now and in this time many things have changed.

"It is clear that in such a big club people cannot be satisfied with average results. If there is no success, if there are no trophies, frustration grows. Everything has changed."

The Daily Mail reports, extremely speculatively, that Manchester United’s hopes of landing Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus have been boosted by recent events. Dortmund have struggled of late in falling off the pace set by Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. With Mario Gotze having left this past summer and Robert Lewandowski set to do likewise at the end of the season, there has been talk of the Jurgen Klopp era potentially coming to an end.

If Dortmund were to drop off then Reus, who has been linked to most of Europe’s big clubs, would likely be the next star to leave the club. However, having made it through to the Champions League last 16 and with their injury crisis, which has been a huge factor in their recent slide, set to heal, talk of Dortmund’s demise has likely been greatly exaggerated. There is little prospect of Reus leaving until next summer at the earliest.

With Nemanja Vidic continuing to struggle with injuries and Rio Ferdinand’s time at the top level seemingly coming to an end, Moyes may also have an eye on procuring a central defender. The Independent reports that United could move for Roma’s Mehdi Benatia. The Morocco international only joined the Italian side in the summer, but has played a major role in their still unbeaten start to the season. The chances of the 26-year-old being transferred in January are surely somewhere between incredibly slim and none.

Follow Jason Le Miere on Twitter

Manchester United Transfer News: Reus, Rakitic, Fernando And Benatia Involved In Latest Rumors