Liverpool will spend big in order to build on Carling Cup win
Published:Liverpool are hoping that their Carling Cup success this weekend was the first of what will be a trophy-laden era, and the owners of the club now seem willing to back Kenny Dalglish’s vision by funding another summer spending spree.
Dalglish is believed to have identified three chief targets to bring to Anfield, and two would command excessive transfer fees, though would appear to possess immense resale value.
Lille winger Eden Hazard is perhaps the most exciting of the potential incoming transfers, with the 21-year-old’s sparkling Ligue 1 form attracting interest from the biggest clubs on the planet.
Hazard has outlined his desire to ply his trade in the English Premier League, but even with that said, the Merseyside club will face stiff competition for his signature, as Arsenal and Tottenham have long been admirers of the Belgian, and Spurs are even believed to have held preliminary talks with the player’s representatives.
Last season’s Ligue 1 Player of the Year, Hazard would cost in the region of £30m, yet that will not deter Liverpool, whose owner John W Henry is determined to see the club return to the forefront of European football.
With that in mind, he is also open to the idea of funding a move for Spanish international midfielder Javi Martinez.
The Athletic Bilbao playmaker is seen as the man to finally fill the void left by Xabi Alonso’s 2009 Real Madrid switch, and so such a talent would be a priority signing to allow Steven Gerrard more freedom in the Liverpool midfield, even at £20m.
Seydou Keita is the third man wanted by Dalglish, and the experienced enforcer would add steel to a midfield that has lacked bite in the absence of the injured Lucas.
A £5m fee may seem excessive for a 32-year-old, but a man who has won 14 trophies in just four years at Barcelona could be key in providing that winning mentality that Liverpool are so desperately craving at Anfield.
