Anfield side set to continue summer spending.
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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is closing in on moves to bring in a trio of talents as he continues to push for his summer transfer business to be conducted early.
CaughtOffside understands that Liverpool are set to agree terms on deals to sign Ajax defender Toby Alderweireld, Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet and Shakhtar Donestk playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan, deals which will cost an estimated £38m in transfer fees.
Rodgers has already completed the free transfer signing of experienced Man City defender Kolo Toure and Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas and the Anfield side have agreed a £10m deal with Sunderland to sign Black Cats keeper Mignolet and will move to secure personal terms with the custodian.
Rodgers is keen to snap up Mignolet in light of the seemingly probable departure of current first choice goalkeeper Pepe Reina back to Barcelona, a move that could happen this summer with the Nou Camp side looking for a replacement for Victor Valdes, who has publicly stated his intention to leave the Catalan club.
Mignolet has proved a huge success at Sunderland and Rodgers will hope that he can help keep things tight at the back as the Liverpool manager looks to put together a squad that can mount a genuine push for a coveted Champions League berth next term.
Rodgers is set to complete the £12m signing of adaptable Ajax defender Alderweireld with a deal aid to have been agreed in principal by the Amsterdam club who seem resigned to losing a number of their top talents this summer.
The 24 year old Antwerp born defender can effectively fill both a left-back or central defensive spot and with Liverpool looking to strengthen at the back Alderweireld is perhaps something of an ideal capture.
Having helped Ajax to three successive Eredivise crowns the talented Belgian is perhaps keen on a new challenge and a move to the Premier League appears on the cards.
With Jamie Carragher retiring and Martin Skrtel set to leave Liverpool and youngster Sebastian Coates still to prove himself in the first team Rodgers is keen to freshen up his back-line, hence his push to bring in experienced Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure.
Alderweireld has made over 180 appearances for Ajax, the signed he joined at the age of 14, and has 24 national team caps to his name./
Liverpool look certain to make Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan their chief signing of the summer with a £22m deal to sign the Shakhtar Donestk star almost complete.
The signing of Mkhitaryan will show the club’s growing ambition, as they have spent big on a player that had been attracting a great deal of interest. Still only 24, the attacker has achieved great things already in his career, winning three consecutive league titles with Shakhtar as well as numerous trophies in his time in his native Armenia.
On an individual level, Mkhitaryan has also been voted the Armenian Footballer of the Year in 2009, 2011 and 2012, as well as the Ukranian league’s best player in 2012. And despite being a midfielder, he was Shakhtar’s and the whole Ukranian league’s top scorer this season with 25 goals.
His finishing will be great news for Liverpool fans, as their team really struggled last season due to an over-reliance on star player Luis Suarez and a lack of alternatives upfront. Mkhitaryan would guarantee the Reds more goals from midfield, as well as offering creativity to the side in linking up with the likes of Coutinho behind the main strikers.
Rodgers will look to offset the cost of his summer spending by offloading a number of players he deems surplus to requirements, among these are thought to be striker Andy Carroll, England winger Stewart Downing and out of favour centre-back Martin Skrtel.
Liverpool will fight tooth and nail to retain the services of Luis Suarez and their push to strengthen their Anfield squad is perhaps an attempt to persuade the Uruguayan to back-track on his public demand to leave this summer.