Out
Stewart Downing
England winger Stewart Downing was expected to be one of the names that manager Brendan Rodgers offloaded after failing to make an impression on him following his appointment at Anfield in the summer.
But, slowly, Downing has impressed his manager – firstly in an unfamiliar left-back role and then back on the wing. But that is unlikely to save his Liverpool career with a sale expected in the summer as part of the restructuring at the club.
Sunderland were one of the clubs thought to be interested in Downing with manager Martin O’Neill having coached the winger previously and the player himself having had a loan spell at the Stadium of Light.
In
Tom Ince (Blackpool)
Liverpool sold Tom Ince for just £250,000 a year-and-a-half ago after deciding he wasn’t up to the grade at Anfield, but manager Brendan Rodgers will do his all this summer to bring the young midfielder back to the club.
Negotiations with Blackpool came to a halt in January as the asking price continued to rise from the initial price of £6million – the stumbling block being that Liverpool are entitled to 35 per cent of the transfer fee as part of a sell-on clause.
But discussion are likely to resume in the summer and we should see Tom Ince, whose father Paul played in Liverpool colours, back at Anfield with more time to discuss the terms of any potential deal.
England under-21 international Ince is a real star and he is expected to go on to become of the big names of the Premier League in the years to come and Liverpool should make sure it is for them rather than one of their rivals.