Liverpool to kop £30M deal for young England stars

Liverpool are closing in on a £30million swoop for two of England’s hottest prospects — Blackburn defender Phil Jones and Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson.

The Anfield giants increased their initial offer of £13million for Henderson, 20, to £15million yesterday and are hopeful Sunderland will compromise on their asking price of £18million.

Liverpool are also ready to make a formal offer to Blackburn for £15million-rated Jones, though they face a battle for him with Arsenal and Tottenham.

The moves are part of Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish's strategy of buying top English talent, having signed striker Andy Carroll in January for £35million from Newcastle.

The club have also asked about the availability of midfielder Lee Cattermole at the Stadium of Light.

Henderson and Jones are in Spain with the England U21 party preparing for this month's European Championship in Denmark.

Stuart Pearce's squad fly home tonight before travelling to Southampton for Sunday's friendly against Norway, but Henderson is on stand-by to travel to Merseyside and complete the deal as soon as the two clubs agree a fee.

Liverpool's move for Jones will alert Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who has made it known he wants to build his back four around the 19-year-old.

Wenger was prepared to wait a year while signing Jones's Blackburn team-mate Chris Samba now.

That deal is advanced but Liverpool's move may force Wenger to rethink his plans for Jones, who has impressed in the centre of defence and midfield since making his Premier League debut against Chelsea in March last year.

He signed a five-year deal that May and extended it by 12 months in February.

Blackburn would prefer to keep their prize asset and sell Samba but accept that they will not be able to stand in Jones's way if the right offer comes in.

Dalglish has already signalled a change of direction at Anfield since succeeding Roy Hodgson by handing first-team opportunities to 17-year-old Jack Robinson, 18-year-old John Flanagan and 21-year-old Martin Kelly, and giving a new deal to Jay Spearing, 22.

However, both deals are still on a pre-matured stage. Sunderland boss, Steve Bruce has made it clear to all clubs pursuing Jordan Henderson that he is not for sale.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: LiverpoolFC.tv, Daily Mail and PremierLeague.com

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Aquilani to Milan?

Alberto Aquilani's agent believes the Liverpool midfielder's future could be decided in the next 24 hours.

The Italian midfielder has spent this season on loan at Juventus, but the Turin giants failed to exercise their first buy-out option to sign the player on a permanent basis, which expired last month.

Juventus have been looking to reduce the fee agreed between the clubs at the beginning of the loan deal, putting into doubt a permanent switch to Turin.

Aquilani's representative, Franco Zavaglia, expects Juventus to make a decision on the former Roma man in the next 24 hours with AC Milan waiting in the wings for the 26-year-old.

"All season Juventus have always given me the necessary guarantees that they want to keep Alberto," Zavaglia told Tutto Juve.

"The next 24 hours will be decisive. Any eventual economic agreements will follow after Juventus make their decision."

Zavaglia admits Aquilani would be interested in a possible move to Serie A champions Milan if the Juve deals falls through.

"Who wouldn't like to play for Milan? Milan are a model club," added Zavaglia.

"If Juventus can't do a deal for Alberto and he has to return to Liverpool, then Milan would certainly be a destination that he would accept."

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: Sky Sports

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Friedel snubs Reds for Spurs

Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel has agreed to join Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur on a two-year contract.

The experienced American had been considering his future over the past few weeks with a host of clubs from both the Premier League and abroad chasing his signature.

Once the 40-year-old had opted not to move back to the continent, where he previously played for Turkish giants Galatasaray, that left him with four options in England.

His current club Villa were keen for him to extend his three-year stint, having played over 100 Premier League games for the club following his switch from Blackburn.

One of his former clubs Liverpool also made him an offer, whilst West Bromwich Albion also offered him the chance to stay in the Midlands.

But, after mulling over his options, Friedel has now opted to accept Harry Redknapp's offer of a move to White Hart Lane.

The signing of Friedel is likely to place question marks over the future of Heurelho Gomes, but Redknapp insists he wants the Brazilian to stay at the club.

Redknapp told the club's official website: "Brad is a top goalkeeper of real quality who has great experience.

"It is good to have three such experienced top goalkeepers at the club in Gomes, Carlo (Cudicini) and now Brad, and it means we have competition for places particularly with the number of games we will hopefully face next year both domestically and in Europe as well."

Friedel's agent Tony McGill emphasised what a tough decision it was for the keeper to leave Villa.

"Yes, I can confirm Brad has chosen Spurs, but it was a very difficult decision to leave Villa," McGill told skysports.com.

"Brad has really enjoyed his time there, the fans and staff have been exceptional, especially Paul Faulkner [Villa chief executive], and I know Brad will wish Villa nothing but success.

"But Brad felt the time was right to move on, and he has not been short of offers. The last 48 hours have been hectic.

"Brad is now looking forward to moving to Tottenham and pushing for a starting place and helping them back into the top four next season."

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: LiverpoolFC.tv and Sky Sports

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Will Liverpool Get Back Into The Champions League Next Year?

Everyone knows that Liverpool have not had a great couple of years, but since the return of Kenny Dalglish, the sale of Fernando Torres and the signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll that all took place in January, there has been a really positive change at the club and fans will be optimistic for what the future holds now.
You can tell the way that those wearing Liverpool football shirts are expressing themselves on the park is in a much more liberal manner, giving them more freedom to play to the best of their ability. There is still a long way to go before the team can be considered as a top four team, but depending on their signings this summer, it could be a possibility.
Liverpool have a core of key players that need to be kept for them to progress next year, including; Raul Meireles, Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Andy Carroll and Pepe Reina. The club have been rumoured to be looking for a new left back and Newcastle’s Jose Enrique has apparently been targeted.
Liverpool should and will be looking to improve on the wings this summer and many feel that King Kenny will sign two wingers in order to make the club more of an attacking force. Ashley Young and Stewart Downing have been rumoured as potential targets for these positions.
Given the way that Liverpool played in the 2^nd half of the 2010-11 season, it shows that they do have plenty of talent and desire to improve their league position next season. The Champions League for 2012-13 could be a realistic possibility for the club, although they will have to finish above at least two of teams with the pedigree of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham.
It is now exciting again to be a Liverpool fan and there will be a huge expectation for Kenny Dalglish to get the club back into a position they feel they are worthy of and only time will tell if that is indeed the case.
Written by Eddie Smith, a sports writer who also likes to blog about 2011/12 football kits.

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Video Prank by Liverpool Fans – Banner outside Fergie’s driveway

While Sir Alex was sleeping, a banner which mentions Liverpool’s 5 and Barcelona’s 4 European Cup wins was erected in his driveway.

Following Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final on Saturday, Liverpool fans were quick to rub it in by leaving a banner outside the home of Sir Alex Ferguson which read “Champions 2011 – 4 times (Barcelona), Champions 2005 – 5 times (Liverpool). Loved it!

Source: vozmediacouk and Empire of the Kop

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Liverpool Sign Record Deal with Warrior Sports – How will the jerseys look like?

The Daily Mail has reported that Liverpool have agreed a £25 million-a-year kit deal with Boston-based company Warrior Sports in April. The deal is a record for English football surpassing Manchester United’s £23.5 million-a-year Nike deal.

The £25 million-a-year kit deal is twice as much as what Liverpool were getting from Adidas, my biggest concern is whether Warrior Sports can create a professional and aesthetically pleasing soccer kit. The first new Liverpool kit designed and manufactured by Warrior Sports will debut in the 2012-13 season, so they will have plenty of time to perfect the design.

Who are Warrior Sports?

Headquartered in Warren, Michigan, Warrior Sports is recognized as one of the sporting goods industry’s premier manufacturers of innovative, high performance, cutting-edge equipment, footwear and apparel for lacrosse and hockey athletes of all ages and abilities. Founded in 1992 by former champion lacrosse player David Morrow, Warrior was acquired by privately-held New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. in February 2004. The 2007 acquisition of Boston-based Brine Sporting Goods further established Warrior Sports as the dominant force in the lacrosse world.

Warrior is dedicated to a core set of philosophies and strengths: technical superiority, grassroots marketing, original and creative youthful expression, and strong partnerships with retailers and suppliers. Since creating the first titanium shafts in 1992, Warrior has constantly pushed the envelope in the evolution of the game. By taking a fresh, energetic approach to the game, and employing young, enthusiastic lacrosse players like Jesse Hubbard and Mark Millon, Warrior set out to change the game – the best gear in the world,developed by the best players in the World.

The record deal with Liverpool sees the company entering the football world seeing it specializes in the lacrosse sporting equipment and apparel.

Until then, take a look at the future Liverpool FC kits from Warrior Sports.

Let us know what do you think of the new kits design on the comment box below.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: WakeFieldReds

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Sevilla winger on Liverpool radar

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish had hoped to land Aston Villa winger Young to supply chances for Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez next season, but the England international is believed to have expressed a preference for a move to Old Trafford.

Promising winger Diego Perotti has attracted the interest of Premier League side Liverpool with his good performances for Sevilla in the 2010-11 campaign.

The Reds are apparently willing to pay £7 million to secure the 22-year-old signature, but face competition from Juventus.

Sevilla are hoping a bidding war will develop and that they can push the price for the Argentina international up to £8.5 million.

The Italian giants’ involvement in the transfer is an interesting twist, considering Liverpool is already in a tug of war style talk with Juventus over the movement of on loan Alberto Aquilani.

Should the Italians snare Perotti from Liverpool, Dalglish may be a lot less willing to negotiate a lower price than the €16 million set for Aquilani’s permanent release.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: NESN

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Liverpool lost the race for England winger

Manchester United are convinced they have seen off competition from Liverpool to wrap up the signing of Ashley Young from Aston Villa for £15million in the next few weeks.

Sportsmail revealed last month how Liverpool were closing in on the England winger but feared United would scupper their plans.

Those misgivings have now been realised, with the champions putting the finishing touches to a deal despite Manchester City also showing late interest.

United have signed goalkeeper David de Gea from Atletico Madrid, as exclusively revealed by Sportsmail in March, and are keen on Inter Milan and Holland midfielder Wesley Sneijder and Newcastle left back Jose Enrique.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Sources: LiverpoolFC.tv, Daily Mail

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