Raheem Sterling is closing in on his move to Manchester City, according to reports on BBC Sport. They have confirmed that the wantaway forward will miss our tour of the Far East as talks between the two clubs continue.
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So with a transfer fee of at least £45m (via Daily Mail) believed to be on its way, the Reds are once again going to have money to spend and a good reason to spend it. All eyes will be on how we react between now and the start of the new season to losing Sterling and who we bring in to replace him.
Our squad is arguably still short of a striker – with only three forwards included in our tour squad – as well as a playmaking midfielder capable of replacing Steven Gerrard and a left-back to provide competition for Alberto Moreno.
Roberto Firmino is conceivably a ready-made replacement for Sterling, while Jordon Ibe and Lazar Markovic are no doubt hoping they’ll get more chances to impress as a result of the move as well, so it will be interesting to see whether Rodgers considers a new winger a necessity as well.
In the list below, we run down the 14 players most commonly linked with Liverpool this summer, who haven’t already found a home elsewhere. We discuss how likely we are to sign them, what they’d bring to the table and order them in terms of priority – with number one being who we’d want the most.
Let us know who you’d want in the comment section below.
14) Javier Hernandez (Manchester United) – linked by Daily Express
A different type of striker to some of the other names we’ve been linked with. He’s a poacher and someone that has consistently scored goals wherever he’s been, but the United link is a big one for the purists to get over. Plus the fact that he appears to be unwanted at Old Trafford, where Louis van Gaal is short on options, doesn’t bode well.
13) Aymen Abdennour (AS Monaco) – linked by Metro
He’s a good player, that’s for sure. However, he’s not really what we need at the moment. Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho are our three first choice centre-backs, while Tiago Ilori, Joe Gomez and Kolo Toure are going to be vying for spot number four. Throw in Andre Wisdom as well and we really don’t need anyone.
12) Fernando Llorente (Juventus) – linked by Daily Mail
His stock has fallen somewhat over the last couple of years. The Spanish international only scored nine goals in all competitions last season after slipping down the pecking order in Turin, with former Real Madrid man Alvaro Morata replacing him in the side. He’s also 30 years old and his best years are probably behind him at this stage.
11) Lewis Augustinsson (FC Copenhagen) – linked by Daily Mirror
Jose Enrique’s absence from our touring party does not suggest that the Spaniard’s Liverpool career has much life left in it – although we should reiterate that there has been no official word on his future. Augustinsson was in fine form as he helped Sweden win the European Under-21 Championships this summer and would be a decent buy.
10) Stevan Jovetic (Manchester City) – linked by The Telegraph
A much better player than his record at Manchester City would suggest, where injuries have really taken their toll over the last couple of years. However, Liverpool fans should remember only too well what this guy is capable of, after he tore us apart at the start of last season. If he can find some consistency then he could prove a bargain.
9) Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan) – linked by The Independent
A name we’ve discussed time and time again. He’s young, with plenty of experience at the top level, and Inter already have a ready-made replacement in the form of Geoffrey Kondogbia. However, despite all the rumours, we get the sense that there really isn’t all that much interest here. Remember that any deal will come at a high price.
8) Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United) – linked by The Independent
Definitely one of the more appealing midfielder deals we’ve seen, simply for the fact that the cost would likely be that much lower. The French international should not be underestimated either, he’s almost single-handedly dragged Newcastle to results at times over the last couple of years, and he could thrive with a ‘bigger’ club.
7) Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) – linked by Daily Mail
Probably the most regularly linked name out of any this summer. However, as the Mail states, Villa are so far refusing to budge on that £32.5m buyout clause / asking price and it seems that’s a fee we’re simply not willing to part with. The big Belgian scored 15 goals last season, guiding the club to top flight safety and the FA Cup final.
6) Asier Illarramendi (Real Madrid) – linked by Daily Mirror
A real underrated player this. His two years at Madrid have not gone as well as he might have hoped, but he’s still featured on a semi-regular basis and was an important member of the squad that won the Champions League a year or so ago. We’re due a favour from former manager Rafael Benitez, and this guy could definitely fit the bill.
5) Pedro (Barcelona) – linked by Metro
Arguably the perfect man to replace Sterling, if we’re looking for a like-for-like swap. Like Raheem, he can play out wide, behind the striker, or through the middle in a false nine role. It’s hard for him to get a game at Barcelona with Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar ahead of him in the pecking order, but don’t let that fool you.
4) Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli) – linked by Daily Star
He’s ours for £64.7m, say the Star. That’s an awful lot of money to pay. However, if we were to sell Sterling for more than half of that fee, would it be completely crazy to reinvest it all on one player? The Argentine has been prolific in both Spain and Italy. He has proven quality and in terms of strikers there’s not much of that available.
3) William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon) – linked by Daily Express
A big, powerful midfielder who can dominated in the middle of the park. That’s arguably something we’ve been missing for a long time. Is he ready to make the step up to this kind of level? That’s impossible to call at this stage, but if we can strike a deal with Sporting then most people should consider it an excellent deal for the future.
2) Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) – linked by The Telegraph
We’ve started dreaming now. The German is one of the best players on the planet. Not only would he be the perfect replacement for Sterling, he’d bring a lot more to the table as well. Let’s not forget that Roberto Firmino can play up front – imagine pairing him with Reus and Philippe Coutinho. It’s enough to make us start drooling.
1) Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) – linked by Daily Express
Perhaps the only man better served to playing alongside our Brazilian duo is this man – one of the most feared up and coming strikers in European football. He scored 31 goals in all competitions last season and until he has put pen to paper on a new contract the speculation regarding his future will continue. Young, strong, quality player.
