The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - we go again

[gawa316]

if they could get 8 million for arbelo i'd bite their arm off, but only if they could def get glen jonhnson.
not sure what to make of the saviola one, he could maybe fit the bill as a quality second striker alright.
Really hope they dont sell Xabi or Masch but

Agree with you about Xabi and Masch but no way would I sell Arbeloa for 8 mil. He had a good season last year and he is not in the Spain squad for nothing. 8 million doesn't go to far these days and we are better off keeping him and spending what little money we have on an attacker

[blewuporstuffed]

if they could get 8 million for arbelo i'd bite their arm off, but only if they could def get glen jonhnson.
not sure what to make of the saviola one, he could maybe fit the bill as a quality second striker alright.
Really hope they dont sell Xabi or Masch but

Agree with you about Xabi and Masch but no way would I sell Arbeloa for 8 mil. He had a good season last year and he is not in the Spain squad for nothing. 8 million doesn't go to far these days and we are better off keeping him and spending what little money we have on an attacker

yeah, you may have a point but i just think johnson would be a step up again from arbeloa and if they can get decent money for him, i'd let him go,provided hes replaced by someone better

[WhoAreYaWhoAreYa!]

Im hearing alot about this Barca deal, straight swap, Eto'o for Mascharano..Personally, i wouldnt take that. We need a really good striker yeh, but there is loads of them around. There are not too many about that to Mascharano's job better. He's the best i nthe world at what he does, there is no way we should get rid of him.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

The rumours page on Ceefax this morning had Torres to United!

[Rossie11]

Im hearing alot about this Barca deal, straight swap, Eto'o for Mascharano

It would be etoo + cash. He is on last year of deal i Barca so a valuation of 12-15m is enough to put on him.
It could happen.
Saviola has done nothing for 5 years. I wouldnt be pinning hopes on him to step in when torres is injured

[GalwayBayBoy]

The rumours page on Ceefax this morning had Torres to United!

It really is the silly season. The life of a football journalist must be great. It's a licence to write any old kind of shite.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON is planning an audacious raid on Liverpool for Kop striking hero Fernando Torres.

Armed with the £80 million windfall from Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid, the Manchester United boss is determined to make his own impact in a transfer market which is becoming bloated with money from the big clubs.

Liverpool hitman Torres is the shock target, as Sir Alex knows that a bid of around £40m would have to be seriously considered by United's title rivals who have severe cash problems.

If Ferguson could pull off the coup, it would be a slap in the face for Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, who was involved in a war of words with the Scot during the second half of the season.

Liverpool, who paid £20m to bring Torres from Atletico Madrid, would fight tooth and nail to hang on to the Spaniard but a British transfer record offer would give the Anfield boardroom serious food for thought.

In the meantime, Ferguson will pursue what could turn out to be more realistic targets – Lyon's French striker Karim Benzema, Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o, Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero, Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery and Valencia's David Silva.

A £20m deal to take Wigan's wide right sided player Antonio Valencia to Old Trafford will be finalised in the next few days.

United believe they will lose Carlos Tevez to neighbours Manchester City but are more confident of fighting off the interest in unsettled defender Nemanja Vidic, who is being monitored by Barcelona and AC Milan.

[gawa316]

Just seen this on the offal

LIVERPOOL FC OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Paul Eaton 14 June 2009 
  Liverpool Football Club has today released the following statement. 
"Despite repeated media speculation on the futures of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, Liverpool has received no official approach or offer from any club regarding the players.
 
"Neither is for sale and furthermore Liverpool has no interest in the long list of Spanish based players being linked with a move to Anfield as part of any deal."


Great to hear them coming out and putting these rumours to bed. It's a no brainer if we want to challenge next season we need to keep Alonso and Masch

[stiffler]

From the Times

Portsmouth accept Liverpool bid for Glen Johnson

Window watch: England right back could be on his way to Anfield after South Coast club accept £18.5 million offer

Gary Jacob, James Ducker

Liverpool had an offer of about £18.5 million for Glen Johnson accepted last night. The successful bid comes after they struggled to raise the money to buy him when he was valued at about £8.5 million in January.

The Portsmouth and England right back subsequently signed a new four-year contract, but his future club appears clearer with Chelsea unwilling to match the fee for a player they sold for £4 million two years ago. Manchester City expressed an interest, but have not matched the price, which will include add-ons.

Liverpool will raise funds from the potential sales of Álvaro Arbeloa and Andrea Dossena and from outstanding money that they are owed from the sale of Peter Crouch to Portsmouth for £11 million a year ago. The Anfield club have expressed an interest in Micah Richards, the Manchester City defender.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Even though Johnson is a very good full-back that's a lot of money to spend on him. I guess he's England's first choice right-back now though so he was never going to be cheap.

Then again I guess that you can probably knock off a few milion from the fee that Portsmouth still owe Liverpool for Crouch and then we might get a few million from selling Dossena back to an Italian club and it probably brings the cost to closer to 10+ million which is probably more realistic.

Still not sure it will happen though as either of the moneybags fc teams from London and Manchester could surely offer him more cash than Liverpool.

[Norf Tyrone]

Even though Johnson is a very good full-back that's a lot of money to spend on him. I guess he's England's first choice right-back now though so he was never going to be cheap.

Then again I guess that you can probably knock off a few milion from the fee that Portsmouth still owe Liverpool for Crouch and then we might get a few million from selling Dossena back to an Italian club and it probably brings the cost to closer to 10+ million which is probably more realistic.

Still not sure it will happen though as either of the moneybags fc teams from London and Manchester could surely offer him more cash than Liverpool.

It's not really though. He's still going to cost £18.5 million odd.

That's a bit like selling a house for £100,000 and a car for £5,000.
Going to the estate agents and buying another house for £105,000.
Then telling everyone you got the house for nothing.

[Hound]

£18.5m is quite hefty for a defender who can't defend. Albeit with the ball at his feet he's probably the best right back in the league.

IF its true I would presume it will be partly funded by the sales of Arbeloa and Dossena. There was talk of €8m bid from Spain (can't remember which club) for Arbeloa and €6.5m from Juve for Dossena.

[full back]

Wild amount of money for Johnson, same old story because he is a decent English player
He will strengthen the team though, so it had to be done

[girt_giggler]

Not many full - backs can't defend in the modern game anymore!

[gawa316]

18.5m is a lot of money to be spending on a right back and for that money you would be hoping to attain the services of the best right back in the world. However, if your going to buy English its going to cost you and thats fact.  Average English players are even expensive.  You could get as good as right back as Glen Johnson if you went shopping in the continent for around half of the price.  Johnson has been playing well but if he comes in you could well see Carragher getting a lot less games next year as ill think Rafa will want to blood the partnership of Skertal and Agger this year more freqently.  When this has happened Rafa has had no hestitation in putting Carragher to right back but if Johnson comes in there will be no need for Rafa to do this.

True it is expensive but (reading between the lines here) does this mean Rafa actually has a sizeable budget? If he is spending that amount on a position that is not top priority, what will he spend on players that we actually need?!!

[blewuporstuffed]

18.5m is a lot of money to be spending on a right back and for that money you would be hoping to attain the services of the best right back in the world. However, if your going to buy English its going to cost you and thats fact.  Average English players are even expensive.  You could get as good as right back as Glen Johnson if you went shopping in the continent for around half of the price.  Johnson has been playing well but if he comes in you could well see Carragher getting a lot less games next year as ill think Rafa will want to blood the partnership of Skertal and Agger this year more freqently.  When this has happened Rafa has had no hestitation in putting Carragher to right back but if Johnson comes in there will be no need for Rafa to do this.

True it is expensive but (reading between the lines here) does this mean Rafa actually has a sizeable budget? If he is spending that amount on a position that is not top priority, what will he spend on players that we actually need?!!

would agree with you gawa, hope this does mean he has more money to spend than they are letting on.Think Johnson is a good player and will improve the side but 18.5mil is a hell of a lot for him,
I would say if they have offered that much for johnson, a deal for arbeloa is already done