Valencia Plotting Move For Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel As Adil Rami Nears Exit

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Skrtel lined up as Rami replacement for La Liga outfit.La Liga side Valencia could be set to make a move for Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel in the January transfer window as they seek a replacement for the departing Adil Rami, CaughtOffside understands.

The Slovakian centre-back has been a consistent and solid player for Liverpool since joining the club in 2008, though he has recently fallen down in the pecking order at Anfield due to some slightly below-par performances last season.

This summer’s arrivals of Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori have also thrown his future into further doubt, and his old manager Rafael Benitez has been reportedly monitoring his situation as he ponders bringing him to his new club Napoli.

However, Valencia may now step up their interests in Skrtel, as it looks increasingly likely that Rami is set to make a move to Serie A side AC Milan in January.

The French international has previously been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United after earning a reputation as one of the most solid central defenders in Spain, though his future now seems to be in Italy, with Milan agreeing to take him on an initial six-month loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer.

Valencia will miss Rami’s presence at the back and have endured an inconsistent enough start to the season as it is, so will hope to move swiftly to bring in a replacement, and have already identified Skrtel as the ideal candidate to replace Rami at the Mestalla this season.

Skrtel could be available for around £7m, and is likely to be allowed to leave after appearing to have passed his best form for the Merseyside giants, and the player himself may welcome a move to a new club to reignite his career.

Valencia currently sit in 7th place in La Liga, and have made the decision to sell Rami after the 27-year-old’s outburst at the club for selling so many key players during the summer, with the likes of Roberto Soldado and Aly Cissokho making way in a difficult pre-season.

Rami could eventually command a fee of between £8-9m, and manager Miroslav Dukic would look to reinvest most of that on his replacement, and also has Swansea City’s impressive Spanish centre-back Chico Flores on his shortlist of potential defensive options.

Meanwhile, Milan’s signing of Rami should signal an end in their interest in Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic, who had been linked with a move to the San Siro in recent weeks.

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