Will Gylfi, Fabio & Adam Be 3 Key Signings For Rodgers?

WITH the summer sales in full swing, Brendan Rodgers has been working hard to identify transfer targets with the aim of ensuring that Liverpool Football Club will be a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League next season.

Euro 2012 has been occupying the minds, and airwaves, over the last fortnight or so but, even with several LFC star names participating, the new boss at Anfield admits that he has not had time to take in too much of the action himself, although he is keen to stress that LFC has a team of scouts at the tournament. In an interview given to Liverpoolfc.tv Rodgers said:

“I’ve watched a bit of it but I can’t say I’ve watched every single game because I’ve been working here at Melwood until late at night and trying to throw every second of my time into looking at ways for us to move forward.

“I’ve obviously taken an interest in England and particularly our boys who are involved.

“A club like this, the network of scouts has to cover the big tournaments and other games, so there’ll be extensive coverage out there on behalf of the club.”

While the man from Carnlough is keen to play his cards close to his chest regarding potential targets for this summer, he is clear about wishing to bring in some new faces to strengthen the squad.

“I like to very much keep my counsel on potential targets.

“I know the types of player I need to bring here to make us function well and that’s something myself, the club and the board will look at. I know what we’ve got, more or less, in the squad, but I also know there are a couple of signings that could really improve what we do.”

One man who seems certain to be joining the ranks at Anfield this window is Icelandic midfielder, Gylfi Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson was all set to join Rodgers at Swansea after a successful loan spell at the club in the second half of last season, however, Rodgers’ departure put the move on ice. Since then Liverpool has emerged as the midfield man’s preferred destination, with his parent club Hoffenheim setting the player a June 30th deadline to conclude the deal. Reports in various newspapers and online suggest that Sigurdsson, 22, is ready to put pen to paper on a deal at Anfield which will see the Merseyside outfit stump up £8 million for his services.

Meanwhile, Talksport and other, more reliable, online sources claim that Rodgers is making a move to bring 21 year old Italian Starlet Fabio Borini to the North West. Borini, who was on-loan at Roma from Parma last season, scored 9 league goals in 24 games in the “Eternal City” and is reportedly keen to link-up with his former Chelsea youth coach once more.

Borini also played a key part in Swansea’s rise to the Premier League under Rodgers, scoring 6 goals in 9 games whilst on-loan at the club in 2010, and winning the crucial penalty in the Swans’ Championship play-off final victory. Although Borini’s parent club Parma are said to have a slight interest in retaining the services of the Italian international, a sizeable bid would be hard to resist. Some reports online claim that a bid of €12 million to €15 million has already been tabled, however these reports are, as yet, unconfirmed.
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Finally, another player that has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool during the closed season is Adam Johnson. The Manchester City forward/wide man has fallen out of favour with Roberto Mancini and his current employers are known to be keen to listen to offers. Rodgers is known to be an admirer of the England international and an attempt to get a deal done may not be far away. Some online reports over the last few days had claimed that a £15 million offer had been launched, however, so far these would appear to be wide of the mark.

Should these players arrive at Anfield then Rodgers would have identified and addressed three main problem areas which were clearly visible at LFC last season, namely: the need for more options up front, the need for a better, more decisive wide player and the need for more creativity in central-midfield. Given that these positions topped the poll on live4liverpool.com for things that needed fixing urgently, it would seem that Rodgers has been quick to isolate and try to strengthen problem areas.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts as to whether or not you would be pleased with these signings.

You can catch up with Neil on Twitter @Neil1980 or on his blog http://itsallinthegameblog.wordpress.com/

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