Thursday, June 30, 2011

Adam Wants Liverpool Move

Charlie Adam has told Blackpool that Liverpool is the club he wants to join and another Scotland international could hold the key to the deal.

Seasiders skipper Adam has held talks with chairman Karl Oyston this week and The Gazette understands the 25-year-old expressed the wish to move to Anfield.

Pool are thought to be holding out for around £8m plus three players on a season-long loan.

And it could certainly speed up the deal if they could convince the Merseyside club to include defender Danny Wilson in the package.

Sources close to Liverpool suggest that Kenny Dalglish is prepared to loan out the centre-half or left-back for the coming season and that he could seal the Adam deal.

Nineteen-year-old Wilson has also been linked with a return to Rangers, from where he signed from Liverpool last summer in a move that could eventually be worth £5m.

Despite the fee, Wilson made only eight appearances for the Reds last season, including games in Europa League and Carling Cup. He broke into the senior Scotland side last season, winning his third cap as a team-mate of Adam in the friendly against Brazil in March.

Wilson's fellow Liverpool defender Stephen Darby is another strongly linked with a loan move to the Seasiders as Kenny Dalglish's club step up their quest to bring in Adam alongside midfield recruit Jordan Henderson.

Liverpool Interested In Bringing Ezequiel Lavezzi To Anfield

Liverpool have been placed on alert over the availability of Ezequiel Lavezzi.

The Argentine international has been linked with a move to the Barclays Premier League in the past month, with Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini also thought to be keen on the player.

Damien Comolli, director of football at Liverpool, is believed to be an admirer of the player, although it's unknown how Kenny Dalglish feels on the player, nicknamed 'El Pocho'.

"I have never been a dreamer. In my life, I have always set myself goals - many goals to reach. I am someone who organizes his future," the 26-year-old told La Naicon.

"I take each day as it comes and enjoy every moment. My next goal after Napoli is to play in a great team."

Lavezzi's agent confirmed Liverpool was tracking the player earlier in the year, and the Merseysiders are known to be in the market for a striker.

A left back and winger are also thought to be on the agenda for the Reds, with Dalglish looking to invest further on players following the reported £20 million addition of Jordan Henderson at Liverpool a fortnight ago.

Dalglish Close To Snaring £20m England Wideman

Liverpool appear to be one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market as they are continually linked with a number of possible signings, the latest being Manchester City midfielder James Milner.

The England regular made the move to Eastlands last season and despite moving for £26million failed to make a huge impression on boss Roberto Mancini, making just 22 league appearances and not scoring a single Premier League goal.

Competing with the likes of David Silva, Adam Johnson and Yaya Toure for a place as an attacking midfielder, Milner often found himself on the bench and struggled to show the form that had made him one of Aston Villa's star players.

The former Leeds United player has been linked with a possible move back to Aston Villa, but new boss Alex McLeish could face competition from Liverpool who is desperate add some wide players to their squad.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish had hoped to tie up a deal for Villa winger Stewart Downing but has so far been unable to push a deal through. Now he may turn his attention to Milner who has the ability to play on either wing or in the centre of midfield.

The 25-year-old has made 19 appearances for England but has yet to really establish himself as a first team regular and would certainly want to start more games next season if he is to convince Fabio Capello that he deserves to start games.

According to the Daily Mail, City has hired John Williams to try and push through deals for a number of their fringe players but so far suggestions are that this does not include Milner.

However, should Milner decide that he needs to start more regularly then he may need to move away from Eastlands to make this happen. Liverpool is currently struggling in wide positions with Maxi Rodriguez, Joe Cole and Dirk Kuyt asked to play on the wing, despite none being out and out wingers.

While Liverpool certainly have the money to tempt City to sell, it remains to be seen whether boss Roberto Mancini would be prepared to sell to a top four rival.

Ex-United Playmaker Return Initiates Liverpool Deal

Charlie Adam's move to Liverpool appears close after Blackpool welcomed former Manchester United midfielder Bojan Djordjic to the club, according to The Mirror.

The Scot's move to Liverpool has stalled in recent weeks after the clubs failed to agree a fee, but Djordjic's arrival at Bloomfield Road, a player very much in Adam's mould, is the first sign that Ian Holloway is prepared to sell.

Djordjic made just one appearance for United in his nine year career at Old Trafford, but his move back to England appears to have done Liverpool a favour in capturing their sought after target.

Since United manager Sir Alex Ferguson labeled Adam's free-kicks as being worth £10 million alone, Liverpool have struggled to agree a fee with Blackpool as the two clubs' valuations differ considerably.

The two clubs were reportedly close to a deal during the January transfer window, but Blackpool opted to retain Adam to aid their survival bid in the Premier League.

With relegation now confirmed, Liverpool's pursuit of Adam has continued, and with the Tangerines having now made contingency plans for his departure, a deal could be imminent.

Liverpool Told £12m Will Land Birmingham Centre-Back

Liverpool have been told that they will need to bid £12million if they want to land Birmingham centre-back Scott Dann who is keen to secure a move back to the Premier League.

Dann was one of Birmingham's star performers last season and along with fellow centre-back Roger Johnson was viewed as one of the best hottest properties on the transfer market after the Blues suffered relegation from the Premiership.

The 24-year-old has been tracked by a number of clubs but it is Liverpool that have been sending out signals of intent in recent weeks. The Merseyside club has already signed Jordan Henderson and is keen to add Dann to their squad as they push for a top four finish next season.

Liverpool boss Dalglish and director of football Damien Comolli have been identifying a number of potential defensive targets and after Phil Jones signed for Manchester United, Dann became their number one priority.

According to Koptalk, a source close to Birmingham has revealed there is currently a stand-off between the clubs as Liverpool has not yet met the asking price.

"There have been serious conversations and negotiations are continuing but no fee has been agreed. If Dann is to leave, Birmingham is determined to obtain the price they feel is fair for one of the best young defenders in the Premier League.

"His performances over the past two years have been excellent," continued the source."

The young defender is known to be a Liverpool fan having grown up in the area and spent much of his youth watching the Reds in action at Anfield. However, he will want to make sure he moves to a club where he will have a chance of regular first team football.

Dalglish knows that both Jamie Carragher and Sotirios Kyrgiakos are coming to the end of their careers and is determined to bring a number of younger players into the squad.

With Daniel Agger spending much of last season on the sidelines, Dann may well have the opportunity to become an important member of the first team.

Liverpool Set To Miss Out On South Korean Star

Liverpool could miss out on yet another target – with Lille preparing to pounce for Monaco’s Park Chu-Young.

Kenny Dalglish is still reeling after being beaten by Manchester United to the signing of Phil Jones and, on Wednesday, he saw Connor Wickham move to Sunderland.

Despite the arrival of Jordan Henderson for what could eventually be £20million, it has been a frustrating summer so far at Anfield.

Liverpool were keen on Monaco forward Park and the indication is the French club will sell – but Lille now appear to be frontrunners.

Monaco face losing their key players this summer following their relegation from France's top-flight and Liverpool, as well as Spurs, were keen on the South Korea star.

But Lille are now leading the chase, with the Ligue Un club ready to use the funds from Gervinho's sale to Arsenal to launch a £5m offer for the free-kick specialist.

Sammy Lee Departs Liverpool

Sammy Lee has left Liverpool, just over three years after returning to the Anfield club as assistant manager.

Reports of the immensely popular 52-year-old assistant manager's exit began circulating on Tuesday night and have not been denied by the club. The reasons behind this parting of the ways remain unclear, although Steve Clarke's arrival last season as Kenny Dalglish's first-team coach diminished Lee's influence. Clarke is now expected to become Dalglish's No2.

While it has been suggested that Lee could rejoin West Ham United's Sam Allardyce – whom he previously assisted at Bolton Wanderers – this appears unlikely. Allardyce boasts a strong back room at Upton Park but, perhaps more significantly, there are appreciable differences in the pair's playing philosophies.

Lee's attempts to get Bolton playing a more fluent passing game when he briefly succeeded Allardyce as manager at the Reebok in 2007 contributed to his dismissal. He swiftly returned to Anfield where his glorious playing career had been followed by life in various coaching guises working under Graeme Souness, Roy Evans and Gérard Houllier.

Brought back to Liverpool in 2008 by Rafael Benítez, Lee – who had previously left his spiritual home to work as a full-time member of the England coaching staff before joining Allardyce at Bolton – was kept in the post by Roy Hodgson, but effectively pushed down the hierarchy once Dalglish recruited Clarke.

Starlets Earn England Call

Liverpool youngsters Jack Robinson and Andre Wisdom have been named in the England squad for the forthcoming U20 World Cup finals in Colombia.

The Reds pair are part of coach Brian Eastick's 21-man squad, which will warm up for the finals with a 10-day training camp in Denver, Colorado in America from July 14.

They'll then travel on to Colombia's Medellin ahead of the World Cup opener against Korea DPR on Friday, July 29.

England will also tackle Argentina and Mexico in Group F.

England U20 World Cup squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Jak Alnwick (Newcastle United), Jack Butland (Birmingham City), Lee Nicholls (Wigan Athletic).

Defenders: Nathan Baker (Aston Villa), Ben Gordon (Chelsea), Jack Robinson (Liverpool), Adam Smith (Tottenham Hotspur), Reece Wabara (Manchester City), Andre Wisdom (Liverpool), Scott Wootton (Manchester United).

Midfielders: Reece Brown (Manchester United), Gary Gardner (Aston Villa), Jason Lowe (Blackburn Rovers), Dean Parrett (Tottenham Hotspur), George Thorne (West Bromwich Albion).

Forwards: Benik Afobe (Arsenal), Nicholas Ajose (Manchester United), Callum McManaman (Wigan Athletic), Alex Nimely (Manchester City), Ryan Noble (Sunderland), Matthew Phillips (Blackpool).

Liverpool FC To Expand Its Retail Empire Into Southport

Liverpool FC is looking to expand its retail empire – but its sights are focused on Southport, rather than Shanghai.

In an exclusive interview with LDP Business magazine, which is published tomorrow, Liverpool FC chief executive Ian Ayre outlined the short-term plans to reach more fans with its retail offer.

The Premier League club currently has five outlets – in Liverpool at Liverpool One, Williamson Square and Anfield, as well as Chester and Belfast.

It has identified a suitable site in Southport and is negotiating terms, while it continues to search for a site in Dublin.

But he remains unconvinced about the merits of opening a standalone Liverpool FC store in a major Asian city.

Mr. Ayre said: “One of the things that a lot of people don’t understand about football retailing is in Liverpool two out of every three people who walk past our store in Liverpool One are probably Liverpool fans to differing degrees.

“There are millions of fans in Asia. But if you put a store in Shanghai, are there enough fans in Shanghai and are they engaged enough? Is there enough appetite for it?

“Other clubs have tried it and I am not convinced, from what I have heard.

“It may be that the online store should be more locally focused, or maybe we will get a concession in a major retailer.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr. Ayre also talks about where he believes the club’s former owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, went wrong – and why the current owners, Fenway Sports Group, are not repeating those mistakes.