Anfield outfit to lose three stars to bring in more.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will offload three big names at the club in the new year in a bid to make sure his squad are re-enforced for the second half of the season after suffering back-to-back defeats in the Premier League this week.
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CaughtOffside understands that Brendan Rodgers is already under pressure this season thanks to back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and West Ham and is now being told that he needs to do something to arrest the alarming slide down the table.
It is believed that he will be backed financially in the January transfer market but has been told that he will have to let three players leave before they can bring anybody in.
Rodgers is hoping that with the kitty that the Liverpool owners give him, the sale of the three stars will allow him to raise up to £40m for new investments in the new year.
Glen Johnson is believed to be the first name on his chopping board, though he is aware that losing the Ivorian will be for the benefit of the wage bill and not the transfer funds as he is now in his final year at the club.
Johnson has come in for criticism lately, with fans judging the England international to be past his best and links to Porto’s Danillo have touted him as a replacement.
Another player in serious danger of being shipped out is Jose Enrique. The Spaniard who was once such an integral part of the squad is now struggling to return to the side following his recovery from injury.
Rodgers believes he can get around £5m for the former Newcastle full-back, with a return to Tyneside very much on the cards. However, potential buyers will want assurances that he is over the psychological hoodoo of being relegated to the sidelines for so long.
Alberto Moreno is now the club’s first choice, but Rodgers knows he must replace Enrique if he does move on as Jon Flanagan, who filled in so capably last term is out for most of the season.
The third player set to move on in the new year is Lucas Leiva, who has been tipped to rejoin former manager Rafael Benitez at Napoli.
The Brazilian star is no longer trusted as a regular starter following his most recent injury problem two seasons ago, and Rodgers has now established Steven Gerrard as his defensive midfielder with Jordan Henderson in front of him.
Leiva is the most expensive of the three to move on in the new year, and depending on how bad Benitez wants a reunion Rodgers could drive the price up as the scramble for reinforcements inevitably hots up.
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