Anfield players who could be offloaded and top quality additions Brendan Rodgers should consider making.
Out
Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll joined Liverpool two years ago in a £33million deadline day deal, but has endured a tough time over the past two seasons and has certainly failed to live up to the huge price tag that Newcastle United sold him for.
New Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers made him surplus to requirements from the minute he arrived at Anfield and sent out England international Carroll on loan to West Ham for the season, which has been injury hit.
Carroll is likely to be sold for around £17million in the summer with the Hammers and Newcastle vying for his signature. West Ham have first refusal but the striker himself is more likely to prefer a return home to Newcastle.
In
Christian Eriksen (Ajax)
Danish star Christian Eriksen is one of the hottest properties in Europe and has been targeted by four Premier League clubs including Liverpool as well as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and La Liga champions-elect Barcelona.
Eriksen is a star of the Dutch Eredivisie but his contract is due to expire at the end of next season and his reluctance to agree new terms with Ajax is likely to result in his sale this summer with an asking price of upwards of £15million.
Eriksen has already played 31 times for his country and is a regular in the Danish national side. He has previously stated his intention to move to the Premier League during his career and that could happen as early as the summer given his failure to agree terms with Ajax.
Out
Jamie Carragher
One of the stalwarts of the Liverpool squad and the vice-captain, Jamie Carragher will hang up his boots in the summer and will leave one giant hole in the defence as a result.
Jamie Carragher has already announced that he will bring the curtain down on his Liverpool in the summer, which started back in 1996 when he first signed a professional contract with his boyhood idols.
He may yet take on a role in the backroom staff under manager Brendan Rodgers will be will certainly not be part of the playing squad from the summer onwards.
In
Ashley Williams (Swansea City)
The link between Ashley Williams and Liverpool is a natural one – the Anfield club need a new centre-back bringing in and manager Brendan Rodgers knows him well from his time at Swansea City.
Williams, the Welsh international defender, has been impressive for Swansea City in the club’s year and a half in the Premier League, marshalling the defence through that time.
Rodgers knows him well and, with two defensive departure coming at Anfield, Williams could make a move in the summer. He is clearly comfortable on the ball – he adapted to Rodgers’ approach to the game at Swansea City – and would therefore easily pick up the Liverpool system too.
Out
Sebastian Coates
Sebastian Coates arrived as a hugely exciting prospect for the future but the Uruguayan international centre-back has not turned out to be the talent that then manager Kenny Dalglish imagined.
Coates has been limited to cup appearances and bit part roles in the Premier League over the past year-and-a-half and he not impressed when pulling on a Liverpool shirt.
He was close to leaving the club on loan in January with Wigan one of the parties interested in doing a deal, but that did happen. A permanent transfer in the summer should happen with manager Brendan Rodgers ready to cut his losses.
In
Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United)
Newcastle United’s mercurial Frenchman is high on Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers’ wanted list with the prospect of Hatem Ben Arfa teaming up with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in a mouthwatering attack.
He is likely to be a costly purchase, but Newcastle are not averse to accepting a fair price for their star assets as shown by the deal struck to buy Andy Carroll two years ago.
It could well be that Carroll is used as a makeweight in a deal to secure the signature of Ben Arfa in the summer as the Liverpool rebuilding process continues.
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.
Out
Pepe Reina
The future of Pepe Reina has been the subject of plenty of column inches over the last month or so with Manchester United and Barcelona said to be keen on the Spaniard, who has been with Liverpool since 2005.
There is never smoke without fire and you have to fear for Reina’s long-term future on Merseyside, particular given the strong links between Liverpool and a move for Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
There could be a straight swap deal occurring between the Spanish international team-mates this summer.
In
Victor Valdes (Barcelona)
Goalkeeper Victor Valdes sparked much speculation about his future when revealing he will not sign a new contract at Barcelona when his contract expires at the end of next season.
The Spanish international has been linked with moves to Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers should be ensuring he is at the head of that list with doubts surrounding the future of Pepe Reina on Merseyside.