Are we allowed to paste stuff swiped from the Times on here? I guessed it wouldn't matter...
Tony Barrett Published 1 minute ago
Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, will be handed the full proceeds from Luis Suárez’s club-record sale to Barcelona to reinvest in his squad, after the clubs confirmed yesterday that they had reached an agreement over the Uruguay striker’s fee. Having already agreed terms on a five-year contract with last season’s La Liga runners-up, Suárez’s transfer is expected to be concluded early next week, once he has undergone a medical. Although neither club confirmed the fee, sources close to the deal have indicated that Liverpool achieved the full £75 million contained in Suárez’s buyout clause. Liverpool have decided that the proceeds of Suárez’s sale will not be used for anything other than squad improvements. That process is already under way, with Emre Can, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana having been signed for a combined cost of £37 million. A £25 million deal for Lazar Markovic, the Benfica winger, is also close to conclusion and Liverpool hope to complete the £9.8 million transfer of Divock Origi in the next fortnight. A £20 million offer to Southampton for Dejan Lovren, the defender, remains on the table, as does a £16 million bid to Seville for Alberto Moreno. In recent days, tentative inquiries have also been made to Swansea City for Ben Davies and Wilfried Bony, while a move for Loïc Rémy is coming under consideration. There is an acceptance that Liverpool are highly unlikely to find a like-for-like replacement for Suárez this summer and the emphasis has been placed on a number of signings that will improve the squad as a whole. Given that Rodgers had already been handed a transfer budget that reflected both the recent increase in television revenue and qualification for the Champions League, it is increasingly likely that Liverpool will spend in excess of £100 million this summer as they look to cement their place in the Barclays Premier League top four. Rodgers acknowledged Suárez’s role in helping Liverpool to return to European football’s elite for the first time since the 2009-10 season. The manager also looked to the future with a vow to continue improving despite the loss of such an influential player. “Luis is a very special talent and I thank him for the role he has played in the team in the past two years, during my time at Liverpool,” Rodgers said. “The club have done all they can over a sustained period of time to try to keep Luis at Liverpool. It is with great reluctance and following lengthy discussions we have eventually agreed to his wishes to move to Spain. “If there is one thing the history of this great club teaches us, it is that [it] is bigger than any individual. For his part, Suárez appealed to the Liverpool fans to understand why he could not turn down Barcelona. “It is with a heavy heart that I leave Liverpool for a new life and new challenges in Spain,” he said. “I hope you [the supporters] can understand why I have made this decision.”
As one of the few on here who actively wants us to sign Moreno, are we not being a bit tight-fisted on that one? Sevilla want £20m, we're offering £16m - can we not just settle on £18m and be done with it? FFS he'd be a major signing and with a decade of football ahead of him. Spread that £2m out over 10 years and it's fucking loose change.
Interesting about Remy, too. I think I still favour a move for him over Bony. Cheaper and IMO better-suited.
