NOVEMBER 29
Reds close on Simao

By Chris Stanton - Sky Sports

Liverpool are closing in on a deal for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa.

Rafa Benitez has been a long-term admirer of Simao who has been a consistent performer in the UEFA Champions League this season.

Midfielder Bolo Zenden's lay-off now appears to have forced the Spaniard's hand, although Benitez is believed to be willing to pay no more than £8 million for the Portuguese international.

Nevertheless Benfica club president, Luis Filipe Vieira, claims a deal is in the offing even if The Reds will not meet the £12 million asking price.

"We know that we will have to sell him, it is just a question of price," said Vieira.

"If Liverpool had come up with £12 million, then he would already have gone."

Benitez may fund the transfer by offloading temperamental striker Djibril Cisse.

The French international has long been courted by Marseille and Cisse's incredulous reaction to being substituted in the second half of Liverpool's 1-0 win at Manchester City could hasten his departure from Anfield.

L'OM chairman, Pape Diouf, believes his side are in the box seat for a January transfer should The Reds opt to cash in.

"It is not impossible that this transfer can be concluded," claimed Diouf, "Marseille would be a very good club for him."

NOVEMBER 25
Reds in £4.5m swoop for Serb

By Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo

Liverpool have bid £4.5m for Serbian international defender
Nemanja Vidic.

Rafa Benitez hopes to secure the signing of a centre-half by next week, but there remain some obstacles to overcome for Vidic to move from Spartak Moscow to Merseyside.

Italian club Fiorentina are rivals for the defender's services, and Benitez won't maintain his interest if he senses indecision from the player.

Vidic is one of several defenders who've been in Liverpool's sights all season and today's move doesn't necessarily signal the end of the Reds' search.

Benitez hopes his offer will give him permission to speak to the 24-year-old before deciding whether to press ahead with his purchase.

In the meantime, Benitez is also maintaining an interest in other long-term targets.

It's understood Vidic has a clause in his contract which will allow him to talk to the Reds for an offer of £4.5m.

But the Liverpool boss needs to be convinced Vidic is 100% committed to joining the European champions, otherwise he'll look elsewhere.

Vidic excelled during the recent World Cup qualifying campaign when Serbia and Montenegro finished above Spain in their group.

He's been linked with Arsenal and Aston Villa in the past, but Fiorentina are the only other club to have made an offer to his Russian club.

Liverpool have made no secret of their desire to recruit a new centre-back, with Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher currently the only senior central defenders at the club.

NOVEMBER 24
Reds ponder Di Vaio bid

By Nadia Carminati - Sky Sports

Liverpool are reportedly consider rivalling Internazionale in a January bid to sign Marco Di Vaio.

The Italian striker is unsettled at Valencia and the Mestalla outfit are thought to be prepared to farm him out on loan in the New Year when the transfer window reopens.

Any loan move would be with a view to a permanent deal and Inter have long been admirers of the former Juventus attacker.

Indeed, the 29-year-old has admitted he would like to play for the Neroazzurri after almost moving there in 2002.

Sources in Italy claim that Rafa Benitez has put Di Vaio on his own Christmas shopping list as he ponders freshening up his striking options with Peter Crouch, Fernando Morientes and Djibril Cisse still not firing on all cylinders.

Valencia are ready to listen to the offers that come in and it seems unlikely that the player will remain in La Liga.

NOVEMBER 20
Liverpool linked with French striker

Kop Talk

Newspaper reports today claim that Liverpool are "heading the chase" for young French striker Razak Buokari.

It is claimed that the 18-year-old Chateauroux player will be a £1.4million target when the transfer window opens in January.

The Togo-born youngster has played 26 games for the French outfit and has netted 6 times. Apparently several other Premier League clubs are monitoring his development.

NOVEMBER 16
Rafa linked with Riggott raid

Sporting Life

Liverpool have reportedly pinpointed Chris Riggott as the long-term successor to Sami Hyypia - but face a fight to prise him from Middlesbrough.

Former Anfield chief Gerard Houllier was close to signing Riggott from Derby three seasons ago - but opted against the move and saw Boro take a £2million gamble on him instead.

That gamble has paid off handsomely this season, with Riggott finally starting to turn his potential into solid performances in the top flight.

Steve McClaren says the 25-year-old can go on to become Boro's defensive "rock" for years to come, with veteran Gareth Southgate coming to the end of his career at 35.

But Reds boss Rafael Benitez is also a big fan of Riggott and could test Boro's resolve with a bid for his services in January's transfer window.

The Spaniard has gone on record as saying he wants a new central defender and right-sided midfielder in his squad, and with Hyypia now 32 the boss wants a younger partner for 27-year-old Jamie Carragher.

If Robert Kraft's interest in investing in Liverpool comes to fruition, Benitez may be able to lodge an offer Boro will find hard refuse - possibly in the £8million bracket.

NOVEMBER 14
Liverpool on Berbatov alert

By Vlatko Siljanovski - Sky Sports

Bayer Leverkusen are reportedly ready to offload star striker Dimitar Berbatov, which could have alerted European champions Liverpool.

The Bulgarian is one of Bayer's biggest assets, but the club could be looking to sell in order to escape a looming financial crisis.

The news will alert several European clubs, including Liverpool, who made enquiries about the striker during the summer when they were desperately searching for a goalscorer.

Bayer's official stance remains that Berbatov is not for sale, but speculation is rising that he will depart in the January transfer window.

Bayer are languishing in mid table in Die Bundesliga and rumours persist of ill feeling between Berbatov and regular strike partner Andrey Voronin.

Berbatov's form has also taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks. After scoring five goals in the first five games of the season, he has failed to find the net since.

Bayer are very keen on one of the brightest prospects in German football, 21-year-old Nurnberg striker Stefan Kiessling, and may let Berbatov go to make room for him.

The Bulgarian has previously expressed an interest in playing in The Premiership, and with Liverpool's forward line misfiring, a move to Anfield could be on the cards.

NOVEMBER 13
Koroman linked with Liverpool again

Kop Talk

Serbia and Montenegro international midfielder Ognjen Koroman has again been linked with Liverpool.

The Terek Grozny (Russia) ace claims he has received offers from England and Liverpool continue to be mentioned in speculative transfer reports.

Koroman said: "I am financially secure so I just want to prove myself. So far there are two good offers from England and Russia.

"I don't know where I will go - but I would prefer to move west. My manager will
sort it."

The 27-year-old Koroman is an extremely fast winger who can deliver killer crosses. He is one of the best players in the Russian leagues but he can go missing in games.

NOVEMBER 12
Simão Sabrosa hints at January exit

Portugal.net

Benfica’s talismanic captain Simão Sabrosa has reiterated his desire to move abroad.

In an interview given to Portuguese cable sports channel, SporTV, Sabrosa admitted he is anxious to complete a switch to a more competitive championship than Portugal’s Liga.

Without specifically naming a particular league or club, everything points towards his aborted move to Liverpool finally going ahead.

The Portuguese winger was a whisker away from signing for the European champions on transfer deadline day, and reportedly even boarded the plane destined for England when Benfica president Luís Vieira pulled the plug on the move.

Benfica have reacted angrily to the interview, which breaks club rules dictating that any interviews given must be authorised by the board beforehand. Simão has been fined for his actions.

The fact that Simão was willing to incur the wrath of the Benfica hierarchy would seem to indicate that he no longer sees his future at the club.

Should Simão leave it will be the 26-year-old’s second venture abroad. He spent two largely unsuccessful seasons at Spanish giants Barcelona early in his career.

NOVEMBER 10
Reds want Croatian Becks

By Graeme Bailey - Sky Sports

Liverpool's interest in Croatian star Dario Srna, likened to David Beckham, has been confirmed.

The 23-year-old is widely considered one of the best young right midfielders in Europe

A host of clubs are tracking him including German champions Bayern Munich - although Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is known to have been a keen admirer for sometime.

Benitez's interest even went as far as him making a bid for Srna in August before the transfer deadline - but the player's club Shakhtar Donetsk rebuffed the bid.

Srna is managed by former Derby and West Ham star Igor Stimac - who has looked after him since he was 15.

"We come from the same small town Metkovic near Split and I used to play with his father, and since an early age his family asked me to look after him," Stimac told skysports.com.

"I really think he is one of the best young midfielders anywhere in Europe and that looks to be the case judging by how many clubs are looking and asking about him."

Stimac confirmed Liverpool were very much keen on Srna.

"Liverpool came in for him in August, but Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov decided against it. He is a very rich man and obviously does not need the money, so we will have to see.

"There is interest from all over Europe, from Italy, Spain, Germany and England and I think he should be going to one of the top ten teams in Europe.

"We think he would be very good for Liverpool. He plays down the right and enjoys breaking down the right - something which he cannot do for Shakhtar at the moment as they are playing him in defence.

"He is very similar to David Beckham, he likes to attack down that side and put lots of crosses into the box."

Stimac admitted Srna could very well depart in January, but again his Ukrainian employers would have the final say.

"Who knows what might happen, we will have to see but as we said it will depend on what Mr Akhmetov says.

"There are many talks about many things yet to happen so we shall see.

"He has also been offered a new contract, so again that is something else we must discuss.

"Dario himself is thankfully not being bothered by any of this and is just concentrating on his football."

Srna began his career with his hometown club Hajduk Split and made his debut as a 16-year-old.

He spent three seasons at Hajduk and won his first Croatian cap in 2002, before Shakhtar snapped him up in 2003.

NOVEMBER 4
Liverpool still keen on swoop for Agger

By David Prior - Daily Post Staff

Liverpool are set to reopen their interest in Brondby's Daniel Agger as Rafael Benitez seeks a swift resolution to his search for a new central defender in January.

The club were interested in bringing the 20-year-old to Anfield this summer but despite Benitez desperately seeking cover for Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia at the back, no deal materialised.

But with Benitez eager to atone for what he has admitted were the "mistakes" in not ensuring a centre-back and a right-sided player signed before the transfer deadline in August, moves are already underway to ensure there is no repeat of that frustration when the window opens again in the New Year.

Brondby would be prepared to let their star player go for around 8million euros (£5.5m), according to coach Michael Laudrup.

Bayern Munich are also thought to be keen on landing the Denmark international, but would only be prepared to pay about half that amount.

That would leave Liverpool to battle it out with Juventus, who have also declared their interest in the player.

Agger would be cup-tied for the Champions League, but Benitez confirmed only last week such ineligibility would not play a decisive role in his signing of any player come January.

Agger is currently out of action with a knee injury that will sideline him for a further five or six weeks, and that would allow Liverpool to progress negotiations with the player's representatives in good time for a New Year swoop.

Benitez recently confirmed that a centre-back and a right-sided player would be at the top of his shopping list.

NOVEMBER 3
Liverpool ready to use Morientes
as bait for Joaquin deal

By Sam Wallace - The Independent

Fernando Morientes may have sparkled for Liverpool in their Champions' League victory over Anderlecht on Tuesday, but the European champions are exploring the possibility of off-loading the Spanish striker in a deal to bring Real Betis' Joaquin to Anfield. The Spanish side are believed to want a £7m payment - as well as the Spain international - in return for their prize asset.

Joaquin was in the Betis side that inflicted upon Chelsea their first defeat of the season over 90 minutes on Tuesday night and he is regarded as the leading performer in a team that has struggled in La Liga this season after qualifying for the Champions' League for the first time.

The Spain international would be ideal to fill a right-sided role that has caused Rafael Benitez problems in recent months. The Liverpool manager opted to play Luis Garcia there last season but lately the right-sided position has fallen to Steven Gerrard, who played there in the win over Anderlecht in which Morientes scored the first goal.

Morientes joined from Real Madrid for £6.3m in the January transfer window. However, he has struggled with the demands of the Premiership and has scored just six goals in 27 appearances.

Fernando Morientes may have sparkled for Liverpool in their Champions' League victory over Anderlecht on Tuesday, but the European champions are exploring the possibility of off-loading the Spanish striker in a deal to bring Real Betis' Joaquin to Anfield. The Spanish side are believed to want a £7m payment - as well as the Spain international - in return for their prize asset.

Joaquin was in the Betis side that inflicted upon Chelsea their first defeat of the season over 90 minutes on Tuesday night and he is regarded as the leading performer in a team that has struggled in La Liga this season after qualifying for the Champions' League for the first time.

The Spain international would be ideal to fill a right-sided role that has caused Rafael Benitez problems in recent months. The Liverpool manager opted to play Luis Garcia there last season but lately the right-sided position has fallen to Steven Gerrard, who played there in the win over Anderlecht in which Morientes scored the first goal.

Morientes joined from Real Madrid for £6.3m in the January transfer window. However, he has struggled with the demands of the Premiership and has scored just six goals in 27 appearances.

Thor Zakariassen ©