{"id":63,"date":"2015-05-29T12:56:23","date_gmt":"2015-05-29T12:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=63"},"modified":"2016-07-13T11:24:00","modified_gmt":"2016-07-13T11:24:00","slug":"transfer-round-up-29th-may-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/transfer-round-up-29th-may-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Transfer Round-Up: 29th May 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"
In a week when Mario Balotelli\u2019s agent claimed that the Italian will still be at Liverpool next season, Kolo Toure and Andre Wisdom signed new contracts and LA Galaxy confirmed Steven Gerrard\u2019s debut will be on July 11th<\/sup>, we\u2019ve taken a look at the rumours surrounding LFC\u2019s transfer strategy.<\/p>\n Rumours have surrounded Liverpool\u2019s desire to sign Benteke since Aston Villa beat Liverpool in the FA Cup Semi-Final. It\u2019s a strange one really, as Benteke doesn\u2019t seem to fit the style of play that Brendan Rodgers prefers from Liverpool.<\/p>\n Yet Tim Sherwood has confirmed that the Belgian striker has a \u00a332.5m release clause in his contract, according to John Percy at The Telegraph<\/a>. Sherwood also said that Benteke should think carefully before moving to a club like Liverpool that doesn\u2019t cross the ball much. The Mirror are reporting<\/a> that the Londoner has told his 24-year-old striker that if he stays at Villa for another season then he could end up at Real Madrid. Expect this one to rumble on.<\/p>\n The BBC\u2019s Phil McNulty<\/a> has said that Liverpool have made an offer for Southampton\u2019s right back Nathaniel Clyne. The Reds are losing Glen Johnson this summer and need to replace him, with Jon Flanagan having undergone surgery and far from guaranteed to regain his starting spot next season.<\/p>\n Liverpool apparently offered Southampton \u00a310m for the youngster, which has been rejected, but the Reds are expected to return with a lager bid. Given the former Palace player only has a year left on his contract it seems likely that he will depart the South Coast club soon.<\/p>\n It has seemed nailed on that the Burnley striker would make a move to the Reds for the last few months, but The Daily Mail say<\/a> that Tottenham have had a \u00a312m bid accepted for him.<\/p>\n The man himself has told friends he wants to move to Liverpool, so Spurs\u2019s bid won\u2019t make much difference in the long run. But the Merseysider\u2019s hopes of getting him for \u00a34-\u00a35m through a tribunal will have taken a hit as Tottenham\u2019s bid will have driven his price up a touch.<\/p>\n The Daily Mirror<\/a> have reported that Liverpool are ready to go head-to-head with Manchester United over the signing of Benfica star Nicolas Gaitan.<\/p>\n Brendan Rodgers has been tracking the winger \u2013 who replaced Angel Di Maria when he joined Real Madrid – for some time, and is ready to put in a firm bid in the coming weeks. Apparently he has a buy-out clause of \u00a325m, so if both United and Liverpool trigger it then it is likely to come down to which club the player would prefer to move to.<\/p>\n It seems that, despite what the official word at the club may be, Raheem Sterling has burnt his bridges at Liverpool. So expect plenty of rumours to be going around until an official decision is made.<\/p>\n The latest is that the likely appointment of Rafa Benitez as Real Madrid\u2019s next manager means that the Spaniard will launch a raid on Liverpool\u2019s talented young winger.<\/p>\n Benitez was responsible for bringing Sterling to Liverpool from QPR when he was just 15, so there may be some weight to the idea that he wants to take him to Spain, too.<\/p>\n Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are all keen on the Jamaican born 20-year-old, but Liverpool would almost certainly rather see him going abroad than making a move to one of their Premier League rivals. So news from The Mirror<\/a> that both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are keeping tabs on Sterling\u2019s situation is likely to please both Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool hierarchy.<\/p>\n There is no way that Liverpool will be able to replace Steven Gerrard in one fell swoop, but rumours have emerged from Tuttosport<\/a> that the Reds are planning an audacious swoop for Andrea Pirlo.<\/p>\n It somehow seems unlikely that Liverpool would allow Gerrard to leave because of his ageing legs and then replace him with a 36-year-old. Yet Pirlo is also likely to be in demand, with MLS clubs certain to want to chase him.<\/p>\n Meanwhile Gazzetta dello Sport<\/a> are suggesting that Liverpool have already made an offer for the Inter Milan midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The Croat is an exciting and dynamic player. He isn\u2019t yet the finished article, which makes him the sort of player that Liverpool could target.<\/p>\n The Reds have made a habit of trying to re-invent the wheel in the transfer market under FSG, and they\u2019ve done that by looking to get talented players that haven\u2019t yet hit the heights \u2013 the type of player that Kovacic is.<\/p>\nChristian Benteke<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Nathaniel Clyne<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Danny Ings<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Nicolas Gaitan<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Raheem Sterling<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Andrea Pirlo<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mateo Kovacic<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Jackson Martinez<\/strong><\/h2>\n