AUGUST 30
Tottenham
make Liverpool approach
Kop Talk
Following on from the rumours yesterday, newspaper reports today claim
that Tottenham have approached Liverpool regarding the availability of
midfielder Bolo Zenden.
Spurs boss Martin Jol is keen on signing Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing but
so far Boro have refused to negotiate. Jol has also looked at Wolfsburg
midfielder Martin Petrov.
The transfer window slams shut on Thursday so you can expect a sudden rush
of activity around the Premiership and that includes Anfield.
AUGUST 22
Reds train sights
on Argentine
By Francisco Acedo - Sky Sports
Reports in Spain claim that Liverpool are monitoring the progress of
Cadiz midfielder Lucas Lobos.
The skilful Argentine only joined the Spanish outfit during last season's
January transfer window, but made a huge impression following his move from
Gimnasia La Plata.
Although he could not ultimately help save Cadiz from the drop, he managed
seven goals in 14 appearances for the Andalusian club and was widely hailed
as the star of the second half of the Spanish season.
Cadiz have insisted they will fight tooth and nail to keep the free-scoring
25-year-old despite their relegation to La Segunda and have thus far been
successful.
However, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is now understood to have trained his
sights on the South American and sent a scout to watch him in action last
weekend as Cadiz took part in the Carranza Trophy along with Real Betis and
Villarreal.
He is likely to have received very favourable reports as Cadiz won the
pre-season tournament with Lobos the undoubted star of the show.
The Spaniards have already slapped a £10 million price-tag on the player's
head, but Lobos himself has described the prospect of a move to Anfield as a
"dream".
"My present is Cadiz and I don't have any news about Liverpool, although it
would be a big dream for me," he stated.
Benitez is likely to keep a keen eye on the talented playmaker for the first
half of the season, but if he continues to impress could well consider
firming up his interest in the January transfer window.
AUGUST 21
Italian ace on Reds
radar
By Nadia Carminati - Sky Sports
Liverpool are monitoring the progress of Serie B hot shot Daniele Cacia,
according to reports in Italy.
Cacia currently plays for Piacenza and netted 19 times in 37 Serie B
appearances last season.
His exploits caught the attention of Fiorentina and Palermo, with the Viola
seemingly lining up the 22-year-old as a replacement for Luca Toni.
But with Toni opting to stay at Fiorentina, the club have cooled their
interest in a player valued in the €8 million (£5.5 million) category by
Piacenza.
Palermo have made an offer for Cacia, but their bid of €3 million (£2
million), plus a player in exchange, was dismissed.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are reported to be keeping tabs on the hit-man, who is
tipped to make an impact at a higher level.
Though Rafa Benitez has not followed up any tentative interest, reports in
Italy claim he is waiting to see if Piacenza lower their asking price.
AUGUST 19
Agent heading
to Merseyside
to try and
broker deal
Kop Talk
KOPTALK understands that Peter Harrison - the agent that represents
Blackburn Rovers defender Lucas Neill - is heading to Merseyside in the hope
of securing his client a move to Anfield.
The 28-year-old Australian international is out of contract in the summer of
2007 and so far he's rejected the new offers put to him by his present
employers.
Neill's agent Peter Harrison is expected to attend the Portsmouth-Rovers
game today. Afterwards he will hold a mini-conference with his client to
discuss their options, one of which could be a move to Anfield.
The player can negotiate a pre-contract with another club in January. He
could then leave Ewood Park on a free at the end of the season. However,
Rovers may opt to cash in now or in January rather than letting him go for
nothing.
Liverpool fans will recall the nasty incident when he broke Jamie
Carragher's leg in the 2003-04 season which sparked a bitter feud between
Gerard Houllier and Graeme Souness. Weeks later Neill saw red again against
Liverpool when the two sides met in the Carling Cup.
Although he was public enemy number one back then, it would appear he's been
promoted to Rafa's list of 'possibles'.
AUGUST 18
Reds to land Saints
starlet
By Patrick Haond - Sky Sports
Liverpool are reported to have agreed a deal to sign St Etienne youngster
Nabil El Zhar.
Reports emanating from France claim Liverpool have struck a deal to sign the
talented midfielder.
The former France youth international now plays for Morocco after pledging
his allegiance to the African country.
Liverpool have been keeping tabs on the 20-year-old for some time after
watching him on several occasions last season.
El Zhar turned down a new deal at St Etienne and he has cancelled his
contract with Les Verts to make himself a free agent.
Liverpool are thought to have moved quickly to land the player by offering
him a four-year deal at Anfield.
AUGUST 16
Lyon want Reds striker
Clubcall Sports
Lyon are the latest club to be linked with out of favour Liverpool
striker Florent Sinama-Pongolle.
The French Under-21 international is understood to be surplus to
requirements at Anfield, and has been told by Reds boss Rafael Benitez that
he does not figure in his future plans.
Spanish outfit Osasuna were keen on the player, whilst Blackburn Rovers
intimated they would to take the forward on loan again.
However, Sinama-Pongolle may relish the opportunity to work with Gerard
Houllier again, and it appears that Lyon are favourites to land his
signature.
AUGUST 16
Kuyt is one
step closer to signing
By Ian Doyle - Daily Post
Dirk Kuyt has moved a step nearer to securing a move to Anfield after
Feyenoord gave the striker permission to speak to Liverpool.
Reports in Holland claim the 26-year-old has already spoken with Liverpool
manager Rafael Benitez, who outlined how his proposed plans for the striker
this season.
Some stories circulating yesterday used old quotes from Kuyt to suggest the
forward is eyeing a move to Newcastle United.
But the Holland international has informed Feyenoord of his desire to join
Liverpool.
And now Kuyt, who is part of the Holland squad that will face the Republic
of Ireland in a friendly in Dublin tonight, is waiting on Liverpool and
Feyenoord to thrash out a fee, with the Dutch club still holding out for
£10million.
AUGUST 15
Kuyt
tipped to reject Newcastle
riches
for Liverpool move
Kop Talk
Feyenoord striker Dirk Kuyt will turn down the opportunity to earn twice
as much money with Newcastle United than he will at Liverpool, claims a
source close to the player's agent Rob Jansen.
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry is today trying to conclude a deal for
the Dutch international in the hope of landing him before the weekend but
with the player on international duty, that may not be possible.
Ideally Rafa would like the £10million hitman at Melwood before the weekend
but he may have to wait until the Sheffield United fixture is out of the way
unless Feyenoord agree to his early release.
A source close to agent Rob Jansen told us: "Newcastle United have offered
Kuyt around £90,000-a-week to join them. That's how much he means to them.
Liverpool have offered him less than half of that.
"The fee isn't a problem but Feyenoord want this paying quickly or with a
significant advance of cash. Liverpool are tying to keep this amount low
whereas Newcastle have offered a bigger incentive to Feyenoord to deal with
them instead.
"Money has never been a big issue in Dirk's career which is why he's never
been in a rush to leave Feyenoord."
He added: "Of course he'd prefer to move to Liverpool and if they pay him
less he's fine with this. He will only move to Newcastle if the Anfield door
is closed on him by Feyenoord."
Meanwhile the Liverpool Daily Post are today reporting that Rafa is 'back at
his desk at Melwood today hoping to conclude the £10m switch of Dirk Kuyt'.
AUGUST 15
Martins
targeting Premiership move
Walk On LFC
Inter Milan striker Obafemi Martins is ready to jump ship, with England
his favoured destination.
Martins' agent Patrick Bastianelli claims he has already received offers
from four Premiership clubs, with Newcastle's rumoured to be the best offer
on the table so far.
Liverpool, Portsmouth and Tottenham are also reported to have expressed an
interest in the powerful forward while Valencia, should they qualify for the
Champions League and lift their self-imposed transfer ban, are also
preparing a bid.
The 21-year-old, who has found the back of the net 49 times for Inter, is
expected to make a decision on his future in the coming days.
AUGUST 14
Reds in for Klose?
Clubcall Sports
Liverpool are set to turn their attentions to Werder Bremen striker
Miroslav Klose - according to reports.
The Reds are in the market for a new forward, and are being strongly linked
with Juventus star David Trezeguet and Feyenoord's Dirk Kuyt.
However, the slow process of trying to sign Kuyt, and Juve's valuation of
Trezeguet could leave Reds boss Rafael Benitez turning his attentions to
Klose.
The 28-year-old won the Golden Boot award at the recent World Cup finals,
and has a terrific scoring rate in the Bundesliga.
Klose has intimated he would like to try his luck in the Premiership, and
could be made available for around £8million.
AUGUST 13
Chelsea turn to £15M
Liverpool fullback
Riise
TribalFootball
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is considering a bid for Liverpool defender
John Arne Riise.
The Daily Star Sunday says Chelsea are prepared to bid £15 million for the
Norway international should Arsenal refuse to accept their £20 million
valuation for Ashley Cole.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez could be prepared to part with Riise following the
summer arrival of Fabio Aurelio from Valencia.
AUGUST 10
Anfield deal
for Kuyt moves closer
By Ian Doyle - Daily Post
Rafael Benitez was last night closing in on his main summer transfer
target Dirk Kuyt.
Liverpool are near to agreeing terms with Feyenoord on a deal for the
26-year-old Holland international thought to be worth in the region of
£10million.
Liverpool had a £10m offer for Kuyt rejected by the Dutch team last month,
but that was a deal worth £6m up front and included Jerzy Dudek and Jan
Kromkamp moving back to Holland.
However, the new offer to Feyenoord is a cash-only deal, with Benitez
deciding on making a fresh move for the forward after raising £2m from the
sale of Djimi Traore to Charlton Athletic earlier this week.
Benitez is a long-time admirer of Kuyt, who was a transfer target for
Everton last season and has been attracting strong interest from Newcastle
United.
AUGUST 7
Houllier’s ‘gems’
set to go
By Max Munton - This is Anfield
Out of favour French youngsters Anthony Le Tallec and Florent
Sinama-Pongolle are set to leave Liverpool this week, three years after
signing for the club.
Neither player has been able to break into the first team regularly since
being signed by former Reds boss Gerard Houllier in 2003.
The club have been forced to loan both players out in the past, and now
Rafael Benitez is looking to offload the 21-year-olds who are not part of
his plans.
Le Tallec looks set to sign for French side Sochux. He impressed in the
French league at St Etienne during a loan spell there last year.
And striker Sinama-Pongolle has attracted the interest of Spanish outfit
Osasuna after a good loan spell at Blackburn Rovers towards the end of last
season.
With Pongolle set to leave, Benitez will step up the pace on signing a new
striker in time for the new season with only Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy and
Robbie Fowler his first team forwards.
AUGUST 7
Dudek
linked with move to Sunderland
Walk on LFC
Jerzy Dudek is being linked with a move to Sunderland, according to the
latest media reports.
The Polish keeper is behind Jose Reina and Scott Carson at Anfield and is
desperate to quit for first-team football.
Black Cats boss and chairman Niall Quinn is hoping Dudek is prepared to step
down to England's second tier to take part in Sunderland's bid for promotion
from the Championship.
That bid got off to a poor start after a 2-1 defeat by Coventry on Sunday,
and Quinn wants a more experienced keeper having had to field Ben Alnwick in
goal following the sale of Kelvin Davis to Southampton.
AUGUST 5
£10m target
given permission
to fly to
Merseyside
Kop Talk
Feyenoord have given striker Dirk Kuyt permission to travel to Merseyside
to check out Anfield and the Melwood facilities.
Liverpool hope to agree a transfer fee for the player within the next few
days.
Usually a fee is agreed before a player is given permission to speak
directly to an interested club so judging by Feyenoord's decision it sounds
like a deal may not me a million miles away in their eyes.
Chelsea continue to be linked with the player and their chief executive
Peter Kenyon will have a chance to meet-up with Kuyt on Tuesday.
Liverpool have important dates with Maccabi Haifa and Chelsea coming up so
opportunities to squeeze a visit in for Kuyt and his agent are tight but not
impossible.
Although things look to be going ok, we're not 100% convinved as things
currently stand that Kuyt is in the bag. We won't be convinced until we see
him in a Liverpool shirt.
It should be an interesting week. Expect new names to be linked with us
before the club head to Cardiff.
AUGUST 4
Defender
close to Liverpool exit
Kop Talk
Liverpool defender Djimi Traore should complete his move to Charlton
within the next few days if reports this evening are accurate.
Charlton and Liverpool are said to have agreed a fee for the player and
there shouldn't be any problem with his personal terms.
Traore was brought to Anfield by former Reds boss Gerard Houllier who paid
Laval £500,000 for him in 1999.
He no longer figures in Rafa's plans and was told he could leave as a
result.
AUGUST 4
Liverpool
linked with Fiorentina ace
Kop Talk
Reports originating from Italy today claim that Liverpool have made an
enquiry regarding the availability of Fiorentina striker Luca Toni.
The 29-year-old Italian hitman has asked to be allowed to leave the club who
will start the Serie A season with a 19-point deduction because of their
involvement in the Italian match-fixing scandal.
Toni claims there is interest from Premier League, La Liga and Serie A clubs
although our speculated interest appears dodgy.
Feyenoord striker Dirk Kuyt remains Rafa's preferred option.
AUGUST 1
United set
to enter £12m
Kuyt contest with Liverpool
By Sam Wallace - The Independent
Manchester United will now consider a bid for the Feyenoord striker Dirk
Kuyt, a long-term target for Liverpool, to replace his departed countryman
Ruud van Nistelrooy after it was confirmed yesterday that they have agreed
an eye- watering £18.6m fee for Michael Carrick, who will inherit Roy
Keane's No 16 shirt at Old Trafford.
Kuyt has been tracked by Liverpool all summer after playing a central role
in the Netherlands' World Cup finals campaign, although the Merseyside club
have refused to meet a £12m valuation of the player.
They may have to revise that opinion after it emerged yesterday that United
have made enquiries about Kuyt's situation, as their manager, Sir Alex
Ferguson, seeks to strengthen his forward line in the wake of Van
Nistelrooy's departure.
United's interest in Kuyt shows that they have contingency plans in place
now that it seems almost certain that their primary striker target for the
summer, Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres, is resolved to stay in Spain for
another year at least.
Both Liverpool and Newcastle United had shown an interest in Kuyt, although
neither had come close to agreeing a fee for the player.
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