AUGUST 30
Report: Mario Gomez wishes to leave
Bayern Munich for Liverpool

By Clark Whitney - Goal.com

Germany international Mario Gomez has expressed his desire to leave Bayern Munich, if reports from Kicker are to be believed. In recent days, rumours of a potential move to Liverpool have gained momentum, reaching their apex today.

"When a club like Liverpool inquires, their interest cannot be pushed off the table," his advisor, Uli Ferber allegedly told Kicker.

Gomez is out of favour in Bavaria, and would "just like to play football again", according to Ferber. Liverpool allegedly would like to sign Gomez on a year-long loan spell, and are willing to pay the player's salary.

Gomez, 25, moved to Bavaria last summer for a record fee estimated to be between €30-35m He struggled in his first year in Munich, scoring just 10 goals in 31 appearances.

AUGUST 30
Liverpool to sign £16m German
international Mario Gomez?

Steven Constable - caughtoffside.com

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez is planning to decide on a move to Liverpool today.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson has been looking to boost his striking options and has targeted the 25-year-old as transfer deadline day looms.

Gomez is one of the most talented strikers in Germany.

Hatfuls of goals for Stuttgart, including 32 in 42 games two seasons ago, earned him a €30 million move to Bayern.

And despite being in and out of the Bayern side last season, he still managed 11 goals.

He appeared for Germany at the Word Cup and scored in a recent friendly against Denmark.

Gomez is valued at €15M-20M. (IMScouting)

It appears that the speculation linking Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez to a move to Anfield is growing by the minute.

The giant German international appears to be overlooked by Louis Van Gaal this term as a first team starter with Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose being the first choice strike pairing for the Bundesliga champions and even Ivica Olic may feel he is ahead of the former Stuttgart man in the Allianz Arena pecking order.

Therefore a move away from Bavaria could well be a possibility and Roy Hodgson may well be a fan of the 25 year old who was named German Footballer of the Year back in 2007 but could he find the funds to sign the player who only arrived at Bayern Munich for a fee of £24m last summer.

Having netted 79 goals in his last three seasons at Stuttgart, Gomez became a much sought after prize but it is worth noting that his arrival at the club came some days before Van Gaal was named boss and last term he failed to make much of an impact, netting just 14 times in 45 appearances and most notably just once in 12 Champions League matches.

Hodgson may feel that tall rangy Gomez would work well alongside Fernando Torres and it seems that whilst the move may well be perfect for the Merseyside outfit, finding the funds for a deal that would cost around £16m may be a major obstacle.

AUGUST 30
West Ham tell Liverpool
only cash for Cole

tribalfootball.com

Liverpool have been told to up their offer for West Ham United striker Carlton Cole.

The Daily Mail says West Ham have rejected Liverpool's opening offer for Cole.

Liverpool are willing to offer £7million and have even discussed a straight swap involving Ryan Babel but West Ham want at least £10m straight cash for 26-year-old England striker Cole.

AUGUST 29
Reds linked with Cole swoop

TEAMtalk

Roy Hodgson has confirmed he is in the market for a new striker amid reports Liverpool are holding talks with West Ham about Carlton Cole.

According to Sky Sports News, Liverpool made an enquiry about the Hammers striker over the weekend and are now in 'early talks' as they continue their search for extra firepower before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

Speaking after the victory over West Brom, Hodgson told Liverpool's official website: "We've got space to add a player. We'd like another striker, we've said that all along and there's no point me denying it. But we still haven't found the right man and time is running out for us."

Hammers boss Avram Grant has previously stated that he does not want to sell the striker, while Cole himself has declared that he expects to stay at Upton Park.

But it is not surprising that the 26-year-old has attracted interest after establishing himself as an effective Premier League performer.

Cole and his West Ham team-mates have had little success this season, though, losing their first three games to lie bottom of the table.

AUGUST 29
Liverpool prepare £9.6m bid for
Fulham forward Bobby Zamora

By Steven Constable - CaughtOffSide.com

Roy Hodgson is preparing the ground for a substantial bid for Fulham forward Bobby Zamora as the Anfield boss continues to look to bring in signings to boost the strength of his Liverpool squad.

It is rumoured that the Merseyside club could offer double the fee the west London side paid West Ham for his services back in the summer of 2008.

Having secured the signing of Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles to help deal with the loss of Javier Mascherano, Hodgson now wants to bring in another attacking option. Having failed to seal deals for Swedish international Ola Toivonen and West Ham forward Carlton Cole, the club will now turn to 29 year old England international Zamora.

The former Tottenham man has been in astounding form over the past 18 months and has managed to net 22 goals in his last 51 starts, and as a result forced his way into Fabio Capello’s England set up.

An offer of £9.6m could be made by Liverpool but Mark Hughes is sure to fight off such a move but he may find that such a move from the Anfield club could prove very tempting for Londoner, especially as it would see the player reunited with the manager who arguably helped get his career back on track.

The strong physical presence of Zamora could work well alongside the guile and prolific ability of Fernando Torres and could go some way to resolving the lack of effective striking options at the club.

AUGUST 29
Report: Liverpool could offer Babel
or Lucas in exchange for Cole

Goal.com

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, reportedly keen to bolster the Reds' attacking options, is said to be targeting West Ham United striker Carlton Cole - and may be prepared to offer the Hammers Ryan Babel or Lucas as sweeteners in a possible cash-plus-player deal.

Hodgson has money to spend following Javier Mascherano's departure for Barcelona and although he has already committed a sizeable chunk of the fee from that sale to the acquisition of Raul Meireles and expected arrival of Paul Konchesky, The News of the World claims that he will also make a late bid to land Cole before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

The powerful England international, previously with Chelsea, has moved to the top of the list of strikers wanted by Hodgson to ease the burden on Fernando Torres, following Tottenham's refusal to let Peter Crouch return to Anfield, and PSV's unwillingness to lower the £13 million asking price for Ola Toivonen, who was recently scouted for the Reds by Kenny Dalglish.

Although West Ham have said Cole is not for sale, the report states they would accept a fee of around £10m.

The Liverpool boss would rather arrange a player-plus-cash deal for the 26-year-old forward, though, as that would leave him with money to spend on at least one further addition to his squad.

AUGUST 28
Liverpool poised to sign
Meireles from Porto

By Duncan White - Telegraph.co.uk

Liverpool are finalising the transfer of Raul Meireles from Porto as they move quickly to replace Javier Mascherano.

The Portugal international midfielder, 27, is expected to sign for the Anfield club this weekend as Roy Hodgson seeks to compensate for the loss of the Argentina international, who is joining Barcelona in a £22million deal.

It is understood that Meireles had been lined up by Barcelona, should they have failed to land Mascherano and sources at the Camp Nou revealed that Meireles would now be joining Liverpool instead. Liverpool will reinvest the majority of the Mascherano money in Meireles, with a deal that could rise to as much as £17m.

Meireles had been strongly linked with a move away from Porto and a departure appeared inevitable when he was omitted from their Europa League squad last week. Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas was resigned to losing the player and it was reported that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also wanted him to replace Owen Hargreaves.

The signing would represent a coup for Liverpool. Meireles was coveted across the continent after establishing himself as one of the most impressive central midfielders in European football.

He came close to joining Jose Mourinho at Internazionale last season after the Italian club agreed to exchange winger Ricardo Quaresma with Porto but the deal broke down after Quaresma refused to return to Portugal.

Both Chelsea and Barcelona had watched Meireles last season and the player was understood to want a move to an elite European club after six years of success with Porto.

Meireles emerged as one of his country’s most promising players in the European Under 16 championships in Israel in 2000, starring alongside Quaresma as Portugal won the title. He joined Porto in 2004, after making his name with Boavista, and has won the Portuguese league title four times in his six seasons with the club.

The heavily tattooed midfielder was promoted to the Portugal team after the 2006 World Cup and has gone on to establish himself in Carlos Queiroz’s side, winning 38 caps and scoring 6 goals.

He was part of the squad at Euro 2008 and started every one of Portugal’s World Cup qualifying games. He scored the decisive goal in the play-off with Bosnia, effectively qualifying Portugal for South Africa, where he impressed, scoring in the 7-0 rout of North Korea.

There had been serious concerns among Liverpool supporters that the club would not be in a position to reinvest any of the money from the sale of Mascherano, with the level of debt that needs to be serviced.

Having sold Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid last summer and with his replacement, Alberto Aquilani, having moved to Juventus on a season-long loan, Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has been forced to remodel his midfield.

Christian Poulsen, the Danish holding midfielder, has already been signed from Sevilla and Meireles would be expected to play alongside him in a more dynamic role.

He has been used by Porto as a defensive midfielder but is encouraged to break from deep positions. That would mean Hodgson could play Steven Gerrard in his more favoured attacking role.

AUGUST 27
Konchesky set
for Reds medical

Sky Sports

Sky Sports Sources understand Fulham defender Paul Konchesky will undergo a medical at Liverpool this weekend.

Reds manager Roy Hodgson confirmed earlier this week he had spoken to his former club over a possible move for the left-back.

And 29-year-old Konchesky, a regular during Hodgson's time at Craven Cottage, now appears likely for a reunion with his former boss on Merseyside.

The stopper, a twice-capped England international, arrived at Fulham from West Ham three years ago.

AUGUST 27
Agent reveals Liverpool
interest in Gary Medel

By Daniel Edwards - Goal.com

Boca Juniors star Gary Medel could be on the way to Liverpool to fill the gap left by Barcelona-bound Javier Mascherano, according to the Chilean international's agent.

Medel, nicknamed 'Pitbull' for his tough tackling and uncompromising style of play, can feature in midfield or defence, and Fernando Felicevich asserted today that the player is being watched by Liverpool closely as they line up a replacement for Mascherano before the end of the summer transfer window.

"We are waiting to hear something back from Gary, since he is one of the options that the coach [Roy Hodgson] is considering after Mascherano's departure," Felicevich told Radio Cooperativa in this morning's interview.

Medel is officially still part of Chilean club Universidad Catolica, but has been on loan in Argentina since June 2009.

"The subject could now be reopened, but there is still time."

As of yet there has been no official approach or comment from Liverpool regarding Medel.

AUGUST 27
Liverpool pair set to join
Fulham as £9m duo head to Anfield?

By Steven Constable - CaughtOffside

Skysports.com understands Fulham are in talks to sign Liverpool youngsters Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic.

The Reds duo are currently in London to have talks with the Cottagers over possible moves, where they will have medicals if personal terms can be agreed.

Striker Dalla Valle, 18, has been on the books at Anfield since January 2008 but the Finland Under-19 international has failed to break into the first-team squad.

Some sources believe that the ease with which Roy Hodgson is allowing these two impressive youngsters to move to Craven Cottage may be a sweetener to a potential double Liverpool swoop as the former Fulham boss looks to snap up Craven Cottage men Paul Konchesky and Dickson Etuhu.

Both players have been heavily linked with moves to Merseyside and now that Javier Mascherano has joined Barcelona, Hodgson has the funds needed to complete the deal.

The addition of both will helpfully fill two holes in the Liverpool squad. With Emiliano Insua almost out the door and Fabio Aurelio still not fit, Daniel Agger has been filling in at left back, the signing of Paul Konchesky will resolve that issue.

Etuhu could be brought in to give the club more strength in depth now that Mascherano has left. Whilst the Nigerian isn’t in the same league as the Argentine midfielder, he is a cut price good back up if Christian Poulsen takes Javier’s spot in the starting eleven.

AUGUST 26
Diarra in Reds link

By Francisco Acedo - Sky Sports

Liverpool are reported to have been offered Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra.

Diarra is thought to be surplus to requirements at El Santiago Bernabeu following the summer arrival of Sami Khedira from Stuttgart.

The 29-year-old has just a year to run on his current contract and Real are willing to offload him now rather than risk losing him for nothing next summer.

Liverpool could be in the market for a defensive midfielder should Javier Mascherano leave Anfield for either Barcelona or Inter Milan.

Former Lyon star Diarra admits he would be interested in a move to England as he wants to be playing regular first-team football.

"A chance to play in the Premier League would be excellent for me because I simply desire to play and not be on the sidelines," said Diarra.

AUGUST 25
Liverpool lead
race to sign Cole

By Harry Harris - ESPN Soccernet

Soccernet has been informed that neither club have, as yet, made an official bid, but the Hammers are well aware of the interest mounting from the two clubs.

Soccernet first revealed that the Hammers were asking £15 million for Cole and that the player's preference was a move to Anfield. Now Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is ready to make the long awaited swoop after failing with a succession of moves for other strikers.

Sunderland are the latest club to be linked with the centre-forward this week, while Stoke and Birmingham have been in hot pursuit without success in turning Cole's head.

Cole made it clear he would only quit Upton Park for a big club and West Ham have been anticipating a move from Liverpool.

With the expected sale of Javier Mascherano to Barcelona for more than £20 million, Hodgson has lined up a move for Cole.

Once Liverpool have sold Mascherano, who was rescued from the Hammers bench by his £18 million move to Anfield, the Reds can offer West Ham the inducement of paying a large chunk of the fee up front, which in turn can aid the Hammers' transfer business in the final days of the window.

Co-owner David Sullivan has been busy lining up a replacement for Cole and, once the England international departs, two more strikers are earmarked for Upton Park.

AUGUST 25
Reds move for Konchesky

Sky Sports

Skysports.com understands Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Fulham defender Paul Konchesky.

Reds bos Roy Hodgson has openly admitted bringing a new left-back is one of his top priorities this summer and it is believed he wants Konchesky to solve the problematic position.

Hodgson is a big admirer of Konchesy having worked with the 29-year-old for two-and-a-half-years prior to his switch to Anfield.

Liverpool are keen to bring in a new left-back before the close of the transfer window and had been linked with a move for PSV Eindhoven's Carlos Salicido.

However, it appears Liverpool have opted to go for Konchesky with the player having just a year to run on his contract at Fulham.

Konchesky's future at Fulham has been the subject of speculation all summer with Birmingham having seen one bid turned down eartlier this summer.

New Fulham boss Mark Hughes was keen to keep hold of the former Charlton man, but Konchesky is thought to have informed the Cottagers chief of his desire to be reunited with Hodgson at Anfield.

Liverpool are believed to be prepared to pay up to £3.5million to land Konchesky as Hodgson looks to finalise his rebuilding plans at the club.

AUGUST 23
Reds target Trezeguet

Sky Sports

David Trezeguet's agent claims Liverpool are interested in signing the Juventus forward.

Reports in Italy claim Liverpool made an enquiry for Trezeguet after allowing Alberto Aquilani to join Juve on loan.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson is keen to bolster his attacking options before the close of the transfer window and he is believed to be considering a swoop for French international Trezeguet.

Trezeguet's future at Juve has been the subject of speculation for some time with the Frenchman dropping down the pecking order at the Bianconeri.

The player's agent, Antonio Caliendo, admits Liverpool and Spanish duo Real Zaragoza and Hercules are chasing Trezeguet's signature.

"An interest of Liverpool? There are requests, not just of Liverpool," Caliendo told calciomercato.it.

"In Spain there is the interest of Real Zaragoza and Hercules.

"We are considering [offers], today is a day of reflection, we will know more tomorrow."

AUGUST 16
PSV Eindhoven’s Toivonen
becomes Liverpool target

By Andrew Slevison - tribalfootball

PSV Eindhoven attacker Ola Toivonen has emerged as a target for Liverpool according to reports.

The 24-year old Swede is being linked with a £5million Anfield move after Roy Hodgson watched him for his national team against Scotland last week.

Toivonen joined PSV in 2009 from Malmo FF and has a very strong goalscoring record in the Dutch Eredivisie, making him an attractive proposition for Hodgson.

AUGUST 13
Babel back on Blues radar

Sky Sports

Skysports.com understands Birmingham are stepping up their interest in Liverpool's Ryan Babel.

The Reds are ready to offload the former Ajax ace so that they can fund some of their own signings before the close of the transfer window.

The news has rekindled Birmingham's interest in the 23-year-old with Blues boss Alex McLeish a long-term admirer of the versatile attacker.

Birmingham failed in a bid to sign Babel during the January transfer window, but they have been keeping tabs on his situation at Anfield.

McLeish has been frustrated in his attempts to bring in attacking reinforcements after missing out on Moussa Dembele and he could now refocus his attentions on Babel.

AUGUST 11
Hodgson set for Fiorentina raid

Clubcall.com

Liverpool could swoop for Fiorentina's Mario Bolatti as a replacement for Javier Mascherano, according to the Argentine press.

Bolatti, who played alongside Mascherano at the World Cup, only joined La Viola in January but reports in Argentine newspaper Ole claim Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is keen to bring him to Anfield.

Hodgson has revealed he will ensure he has a replacement lined up before any of his top players leave and has been desperately seeking a holding midfielder after Mascherano announced he is looking to move on, with Inter Milan and Barcelona interested in his services.

However, it seems as if Denmark international Christian Poulsen is set for a move to Liverpool from Italian side Juventus and if, as expected, Poulsen arrives at Anfield, Hodgson is unlikely to pursue his interest in Balotti.

AUGUST 10
Barca pounce on Mascherano

Football Italia

Inter appear to have given up on Javier Mascherano, sending the Liverpool midfielder closer to Barcelona.

He had made it clear he wanted to reunite with Rafa Benitez at San Siro and even went so far as learning Italian during the World Cup this summer.

However, this week Nerazzurri President Massimo Moratti decided he was too expensive at €30m, especially with Douglas Maicon now off the market.

According to Catalan newspaper ‘El Mundo Deportivo,’ Barcelona have dived right in to take advantage of the situation.

Their own bid for Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas failed, so they would be willing to pay Liverpool’s requested sum for Mascherano.

They would also be able to hand over Aleksandar Hleb as part of the transfer package.

“The player would like to talk to Barca. After all, the sums requested are half of what they put on the table for Fabregas,” agent Horacio Zandonadi told Com Radio.

“Mascherano has not renewed his contract and the club promised to release him if he requested a transfer.

“The situation is much easier than a year ago, when Barcelona already made an offer for Javier.

“Many clubs like Mascherano, as he is a great player at the highest level.”

AUGUST 10
Liverpool make new enquiries
for West Ham’s Cole

By Andrew Slevison - tribalfootball

West Ham United striker Carlton Cole has remained a transfer target for Liverpool who have made new enquiries about his situation.

The Hammers have told Liverpool that Cole will cost them £12million and now Reds boss Roy Hodgson will have to wait and see if midfielder Javier Mascherano leaves for Inter Milan so he can use that money to make the purchase.

Cole has been heavily linked with Stoke City but reportedly does not want to end up there and hopes Liverpool stay interested, especially after news has emerged that they are set to sign Christian Poulsen from Juventus, who will act as Mascherano’s replacement.

AUGUST 9
Middlesbrough ready
to sell Jones to Liverpool

tribalfootball.com

Liverpool are upping their offer for Middlesbrough goalkeeper Brad Jones.

The Mirror says Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson will make a new £2million bid for Middlesbrough keeper Brad Jones today.

The Kop are upping their original offer and Boro are set to accept the fee for the big Australian, who will be allowed to head to Merseyside as the main competition for No.1 Pepe Reina.

Boro were holding out for £3m, but have now lowered their demands and Jones will make the move to Anfield as a ‘home-grown player’ under new Premier League rules, because of the time he has spent in England.

AUGUST 8
Liverpool to beat Arsenal for
Man City winger Wright-Phillips

tribalfootball.com

Liverpool are ahead of Arsenal in the race for frozen out Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The Sunday Mirror says the England winger has been told he can leave Manchester City for about £7million. But Arsenal are unwilling to pay him more than the £65,000 a week he earns at City.

That has opened the door for Roy Hodgson to beat Arsene Wenger again after the Liverpool boss persuaded Joe Cole to move to Anfield ahead of the Emirates.

Wright-Phillips turned down City’s offer of a £10,000-a-week wage hike at the end of last season.

AUGUST 8
Crouch linked
with Reds return

This is Anfield

England striker Peter Crouch has again been linked with a return to Liverpool.

Crouch left Anfield two years ago for Portsmouth, for £8m, seeking regular first-team football, moving to Tottenham a year later. He’s now linked with a return to Merseyside for £10m.

Reports suggest Crouch is keen on a return to the club, with somewhat unfinished business, and the city where his fiancee Abigail Clancy is from.

The Telegraph write:

Liverpool cannot offer Crouch the Champions League football he would enjoy at White Hart Lane, but Hodgson believes he could convince the England international to rejoin the Merseyside club.

Crouch would also add to the new homegrown squad quota rule.

Originally signed from Southampton in 2005, Crouch made 134 appearances for the Reds, scoring 42 goals.

AUGUST 4
Inter close in on Mascherano

Football Italia

Inter have opened talks with Liverpool about the prospect of signing Javier Mascherano, according to Il Corriere dello Sport.

Earlier this summer, the Argentina international revealed via his agent that it would be a dream to play for a prestigious club like Inter.

Il Corriere understands that Inter first made contact two weeks ago and Eduardo Macia only got back in touch yesterday evening.

Macia was Rafael Benitez's right-hand man at Liverpool and is being touted in the Italian media as the club's de facto director of sport.

It's no secret that Macia was in Italy this week. He apparently dined with Fiorentina director of sport Pantaleo Corvino on Monday night to discuss the now failed transfer of Emiliano Insua.

He then reportedly held talks with Juventus director general Beppe Marotta regarding Christian Poulsen. Il Corriere claims Poulsen's agent will be in Liverpool today to discuss personal terms.

Macia then flew back to England, but a phone call was made perhaps to relay the message that negotiations can now start for Mascherano, as his replacement has been found.

AUGUST 4
Liverpool locked in Juventus
talks over £6M Poulsen deal

tribalfootball.com

Liverpool have opened talks with Juventus for midfielder Christian Poulsen.

The Sun says new Reds boss Roy Hodgson wants Juventus star Poulsen to bolster his midfield and the clubs are negotiating a £6million move.

Once the Denmark international's signing is confirmed, that could see Argentine hardman Mascherano packing his bags to link up with former gaffer Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan.

Mascherano, 26, told Hodgson last week he wanted a move but the Reds - who have slapped a £25m price tag on him - want a replacement sorting out first.

AUGUST 2
Roy ready for striker swoop

Clubcall.com

Liverpool are believed to be lining up a bid for Peter Crouch after indications that Tottenham will sell the striker to raise funds.

Roy Hodgson has made no secret of the fact that he would like to bring in more British players to Anfield, with Reds old boy Crouch mentioned this summer as a potential target.

Harry Redknapp is struggling to reinforce his squad and as he seeks another frontman, it is understood he is willing to let the England international move on in order to fund his own transfer activity.

With Javier Mascherano likely to move on before the transfer window closes, Liverpool will have the funds to re-sign Crouch - who scored 22 goals in 85 appearances during his time with the Reds.

Hodgson's former club Fulham are also said to be interested in the striker, who turned down a move to Craven Cottage last year, but Liverpool are leading the race for his signature.

Thor Zakariassen ©