Anfield side plan for busy summer.
The Daily Mail believe Liverpool will invest in a number of quality summer additions and have outlined a five man wish-list drawn up by Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers.
The Northern Irishman will be handed significant funds to help beef up his squad so as to make the Merseyside club genuine contenders for a Champions League berth, a coveted spot being one that the club’s American owners are desperate to secure.
Tom Ince
High up on Rodgers wish-list is former Liverpool man Tom Ince, who has been a huge success since his move to join Blackpool. One imagines moves to capture the England Under 21 international will be increased if the Bloomfield Road fail to find a way to the Premier League this season, which looks increasingly likely given that the Tangerines sit in 13th spot, some 11 points off the play-offs.
Ince has nonetheless had a tremendous season, scoring 17 goals and providing 10 assists. A move back to Liverpool could depend greatly on whether the young attacker believes he will be given the chance to make an impact, something he failed to receive during his previous spell at the club.
Ashley Williams
Rodgers is planning another raid on his former Swansea City side with the Liverpool boss looking to strengthen his defence with a move for solid centre-back Ashley Williams.
The 28 year old has had a great season under Michael Laudrup but may feel his ambitions may be better realised at Liverpool. Rodgers could well see Williams as a replacement for Jamie Carragher, who will hang up his boots this summer.
Stefan De Vrij
The highly rated 21 year old has been on the Anfield radar for some time but perhaps the personal trip by the Liverpool boss shows just how seriously the Merseyside club are considering a bid for the young centre-back.
De Vrij has just 18 months to run on his current contract and therefore his Rotterdam employers may choose to sell the youngster this summer in preference to a possible free transfer departure at the end of next season.
Though De Vrij only turned 21 earlier this month he has still racked up over 100 Feyenoord appearances and has three Dutch national team caps to his name.
Hatem Ben Arfa
The 25 year old who has returned to action following a hamstring injury is a player Alan Pardew does not want to lose, so much so that he is looking to offer Ben Arfa a new contract in the hope of quelling interest from prospective suitors.
Given that Magpies owner Mike Ashley bankrolled the addition of six new players in January there is a chance that an offer for a player who cost around £7m could be considered.
Rodgers may be keen on beefing up his attack in view of the drop in form from youngster Raheem Sterling. It also appears that Moroccan Oussama Assaidi is not part of Liverpool’s long term plans, having failed to cement a regular spot in the starting eleven so there may well be room for the addition of Hatem Ben Arfa.
Ben Arfa has scored ten goals, including some of the spectacular variety, in 48 appearances for the St James’ Park outfit.
Kevin Gameiro
The last of those on the Daily Mail list is PSG striker Kevin Gameiro, a player who has seen his first team chances at the Parc des Princes vanish since the arrival last summer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The former Lorient forward has made just four Ligue 1 starts this season, and only one since October. Gamiero notched up 14 goals in his first season at the club but may feel that it’s time to consider his options with his international chances suffering as a result of a lack of first team action.
Rodgers may well feel there is a need to beef up his attacking options even though Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge have forged a good pairing thus far. Any move for Gameiro may well be as a result of the poor displays from Italian Fabio Borini in his debut Liverpool season.