Reina denies Barcelona return

Pepe Reina has denied speculation he will return to Barcelona and has confirmed he would be open to extending his Liverpool contract.



Widespread reports have claimed that Reina is a target for Barcelona, if current No.1 Victor Valdes leaves the Spanish champions next summer.



However, Reina has stressed that he is happy at Anfield and has dismissed talk of a return to his first club as 'only rumours'.



"I have my own contract with Liverpool for three more years," said Reina. "Nothing has changed.





"If so, we want to make it bigger and my future is with Liverpool.



"Right now, about Barca, there are only rumours and only people talking about possibilities. There are no facts. I cannot talk further on that."



Valdes is currently expected to leave Barcelona in 2014 when his contract expires and Reina respects his fellow Spain international's position.



Reina added: "Victor has said he will not move from Barcelona and wants to fulfil his contract, and that must be respected."

Monaco target Daniel Agger

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has emerged as the latest name on Monaco’s summer shopping list with the offer of a four-year deal being put on the table, according to French daily Equipe.



Agger has already courted interest from Italy this summer with his former manager Rafael Benitez having announced his own wish list for Napoli that also includes Lucas Leiva and Martin Skrtel.



The Denmark international very nearly departed for Manchester City last summer, but a financial disagreement meant Agger stayed on at Anfield to become a regular in the starting eleven once again.



And his performances have attracted the attention of Monaco, who have already made a string of signings this summer, most notably snapping up Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid.



With 35 league appearances under his belt, Agger helped Liverpool fight hard for a European berth in the table, but it proved in vain as the Reds finished seventh.

Liverpool keen on Sevilla hotshot

Estadio Deportivo is reporting that Liverpool are hoping to sign Sevilla forward Luis Alberto in the summer transfer window.



The 20-year-old footballer was loaned to Barcelona last summer and he largely impressed playing for Barcelona B.



However, despite scoring 11 goals in 37 league matches and racking up the most assists in the team, Barcelona officials opted against making the loan deal permanent.



The player is, therefore, set to return to Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but there is every chance he will be leaving Sevilla again.



According to Estadio Deportivo, Liverpool and Swansea are showing interest in the 20-year-old with a view of luring him to English Premier League at the end of the current campaign.



The Reds are prepared to offer around £5 million for Luis Alberto, but Sevilla is holding out for £8 million.



With Jesus Navas set to join Manchester City and Alvaro Negredo also likely to leave, los Rojiblancos are under no pressure to sell.

Suarez may be ‘forced’ to leave Liverpool

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has admitted that he would find it difficult to turn down a move to Real Madrid, claiming he was not prepared to put up with the criticism from the press any longer.



Suarez claimed in an interview with Uruguayan radio station sport 890 that the treatment he has received from the press this season has affected his family and may force him to leave the Merseyside club.



The striker also confirmed that he has spoken to Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, and the manager knows what he wanted.



The 26-year-old will miss the first six games of next season as he serves the remainder of a ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. This is the second lengthy ban he has faced after being forced to miss 8 games after being convicted of racially abusing Patrice Evra.



Speaking to 890 Sport, Suarez said: “I’ve worked hard since childhood to get where I am and I keep getting constant criticism from the English press. It makes me tired. Liverpool want me to stay, but do not know what will happen. It would be difficult to say no to Real Madrid.”



Suarez said Liverpool had treated him well and he had “only words of thanks for the fans”, and added: “So far I have not received any official offer from Madrid.”



He continued: “I have a contract with Liverpool, but it would be very difficult to say no to Real Madrid. There are a lot of rumours in the transfer period, but you never know until firm offers are made.”



He added: “I’ve talked to the coach (Rodgers), and he knows what I want. He was a player. Some of the players understand my situation – enough said.”

Liverpool leading Atsu chase

Liverpool are leading the race to sign Porto winger .



Sky Sports revealed earlier this week an unnamed Premier League club had tabled a bid for Atsu and it is understood that Liverpool are the team in question.



Talks are thought to be continuing between the Reds and Porto as Brendan Rodgers' side look to win the race for the Ghana international.



However, Liverpool could face competition from Premier League rivals Everton and Arsenal for the highly-rated attacker.



Everton are thought be interested in Atsu especially if current Porto boss Vitor Pereira replaces David Moyes at Goodison Park, while Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the African's situation.



Atsu has found himself out of favour at Porto in recent months after refusing to sign a new deal at Estadio do Dragao.



The 21-year-old, who sees his current contract expire next summer, has continually rejected offers to extend his deal due to Porto's insistence to try and increase his release clause to €30m (£24million).



Atsu, who has previously expressed his desire to play in England, is expected to make a decision on his future once he plays for Ghana in their upcoming games against Kenya, Sudan and Lesotho next month.


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Begovic hints at Liverpool move

Begovic has hinted he will be joining Liverpool after the Stoke goalkeeper was quoted saying he was preparing for pre-season at Melwood.

Begovic's future has been the subject of intense speculation for some time and the January capture of Jack Butland from Birmingham only intensified talk that the Bosnian stopper would be sold by the Potters.



Manchester United were initially thought to be keen, but the much-improved performances of David De Gea ended their interest, leaving Liverpool and Arsenal as his most likely destinations.



However, quoted by The Sun, Begovic said:

"I want to start preparing on July 10, with all the players of Liverpool."

Neither Stoke or Liverpool have confirmed the news, but with doubts surrounding the future of Reds keeper Pepe Reina, the signing of Begovic would not come as a major surprise.

Rodgers to recruit 'winners'

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists attitude will be as important as aptitude as he looks to strengthen the Reds' squad this summer.



Jamie Carragher has already left the club while Manchester City's Kolo Toure has been linked with a switch to Anfield.



Rodgers is adamant that unless any potential target can show themselves to be a winner he will look elsewhere.

"A lot of great learning has taken place throughout the year both on and off the field," he told the club website. "Now we want to build on the positive impact of the second half of the season.



"It's our job as a club to look to bring in the types of players who will allow us to kick on again.



"There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes in order to reinforce the group.



"In order to breed the consistency needed to give us success, we need to bring in winners - those with the winning mentality.



"Everyone has to play a part in leadership.



"You get different types of leadership - some are purely by action and inspiration, others by organisation and more verbal.



"Taking on that responsibility is something that has to come from within the group here, but we're also looking to bring in that type of player."

Rodgers: Suarez happy

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists he expects striker Luis Suarez to be at the club next season.

Rodgers admits the Reds may have to field enquiries about the Uruguay international, but he believes it will take an exceptional offer for Suarez to leave.

"Listen, every player has their price but there's certainly no pressure for the club to sell him. We're trying to build that bit of quality so he's not for sale," Rodgers said.

"I don't have any doubts there will be interest in him this summer, because he's up there.

"There's a small percentage of players who are world class and he's in that bracket, so I don't think it will be too dissimilar to when I first came in last summer, with clubs making their interest known.



"People will want to take him, but I think we all recognise how integral he is. The owners have been absolutely unequivocal in their resolve in terms of wanting to keep him."
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Rodgers ready to do business

Brendan Rodgers expects to make early additions to the Liverpool squad this summer with depth the key to his transfer plans.

Rodgers admits his options during the 2012-13 season were too limited, and that is something needing to be solved if the club wants to make a return to the Champions League in the near future.



The Reds go into the final weekend of the season seventh in the Premier League, and Rodgers knows he is going to have to invest wisely with his budget unlikely to match teams that finished above them.



Rodgers has been linked with a number of players, including Wigan's James McCarthy and Swansea keeper Michel Vorm, and although he didn't comment on any specific players, he expects to be active in the next few weeks.



"I think there will be a natural transition in the summer because we need to improve our depth because the squad was very shallow," he said.



"You want to do your business as early as you can and we will look to reinforce but come the beginning of the season we would hope to have a squad ready to challenge.



"That process started just after the window - once we got the staff in we needed, they got to work straight away and we saw the benefits of that over the course of January. Hopefully we can have a similar window, a real positive one, in the summer.



"There was a lot going on - lots of players going out, some coming in. The word stability is key for us now - it really sets us up for the summer to hopefully have a good window."


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Reds open to Carragher return

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has said there will always be a job for Jamie Carragher at the club as the defender prepares to play his final game before retiring this weekend.

The 35-year-old will make his 737th Reds appearance against QPR on Sunday before moving into television punditry with Sky Sports next season.



However, Werner said the club would welcome back former England international Carragher, who has spent his entire playing career at Anfield, with open arms.

"We wish Jamie well in his new career and the door will always be open for him at Liverpool," he told the Liverpool Echo.



"I really hope we see him back at the club one day because with all that experience and knowledge we know he has so much to offer.



"Whether it's as a coach, an analyst or whatever, there will always be a job for him here.



"We hoped he would play on for another season but we fully respect his decision to retire.



"He wants to leave the party before the last call and I understand that.



"I have nothing but admiration for him - both on and off the field.



"It's a big challenge to try to replace him. He's a unique individual and I think finding another player just like him will be impossible."

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Rodgers: Reina not for sale

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has denied Pepe Reina will leave the club at the end of the season.

The Liverpool goalkeeper has been linked with a move back to his native Spain in the summer but Rodgers insists he won't be sold.

"It's that silly season now that starts up all the rumours and whatnot but Pepe's not for sale," said Rodgers.

"He's got three years left on his contract here, he's happy and obviously there's speculation but it's not worth commenting on."

Reina has been linked with Barcelona - where he began his career - and Real Madrid.

The 30-year-old joined Liverpool in 2005 from Villarreal and has gone on to make nearly 400 appearances for the club.
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Liverpool contemplating Barca swoop

Liverpool are once again looking into the possibility of signing Barcelona striker David Villa, according to The Mirror.



Kop boss Brendan Rodgers has been forced to rethink his attacking strategy after Luis Suarez was hit with a 10-match ban after a bizarre bite on Brainslav Ivanovic.



Bargain Hunt



Rodgers is hoping to land the Spaniard on a cut-price deal after they failed to secure him in a loan deal in the January transfer window.



Villa is said to be unhappy with his part-time role at the Nou Camp and could be pushed further back in the squad if the Catalan giants complete the signing of Neymar.



Although Liverpool have a transfer policy of only signing young players, Rodgers wants guaranteed talent, and 31-year-old Villa could be the answer.



Fears



As well as this, there could be the possibility that Liverpool have to sell Suarez in the summer transfer window, bringing the need for a new striker even higher up the list of priorities.



Meanwhile, Rodgers has insisted that Liverpool are still the best team on Merseyside, despite a 0-0 draw with Everton yesterday afternoon.

Gerrard: Duo lifted Liverpool

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool would have been challenging for a top four spot if Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho had joined earlier in the season.



The Reds are sitting in seventh in the Premier League table, 10 points adrift of Arsenal in fourth, and their push for a Champions League place was hampered by inconsistent form.



But the January arrivals of Coutinho and Sturridge added some attacking impetus to the team and both players have made a big impact at Anfield.



Sturridge has netted nine goals for Liverpool, including two in last weekend's 6-0 thrashing of Newcastle, while Coutinho continues to impress in midfield and Gerrard believes the duo could have dragged the team further up the table.

Gerrard said

"I don't really like jumping ahead but for me there's a lot of optimism,"



"When you make signings you need to contribute. If they are attacking players, you need them to score and set up goals and be better than we already have.



"Sturridge and Coutinho are both signings for the starting XI, and they can both be even better next season.



"I'm convinced they will be two big players for us.



"And if you add another striker to that and you have Luis coming back (from a 10-match ban), then that's the firepower we need to be challenging nearer to the top four.



"In fact, if we had got in Sturridge and Coutinho at the start of the season then I think we'd have been right up there among the top four."

Liverpool face Everton in Sunday's Merseyside derby and Brendan Rodgers' side will finish below their near-neighbours if they are defeated at Anfield.

Gerrard admits that Everton have enjoyed a steady season, but insists that Liverpool can still take some positives from their own campaign.

"Yes, Everton have been consistent, but they are still only sixth," he said.



"They have had a good season but maybe their targets were slightly different to others around them in the table.



"For real consistency, the example has to be Manchester United. Not Everton.



"Liverpool, though, is my main concern. Our target at the start of the season was the top four so it's clear our consistency hasn't been good enough.



"I'm not really a stats man, I prefer to look at the bigger picture, but if you look at our amount of goals and clean sheets, it's clear we are moving in the right direction.



"It's not all gloom and doom. We've played some fantastic stuff this season, and besides a handful of games we've always been in with a shout."

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Suarez's wife tells him to behave

Luis Suarez's wife has advised the Liverpool striker to improve his behaviour on the pitch in a bid to reflect his character off it.

Suarez is currently serving a 10-match suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic - and by the end of that term he will have been banned for 20 games since joining Liverpool, without being sent off.



Suarez told Liverpool's official magazine that his wife, Sofia, has told him to behave while playing.

He said: "My wife has made observations like, "You were arguing with the referee and the defenders too much; you didn't really seem up for it; you might as well have not been on the pitch".

"I go away, think about it and realise she was right.

"She said people must go away and think that is what I am like off the pitch, even though I'm usually relaxed and easy-going.

"Having a wife that closely watches the game is good. She knows me better than anyone else and I want her observations to help me play better and be a happier person."

Suarez's wife had previously advised him to shape up in an interview with The Sunday Times - published on the morning of his encounter with Ivanovic.

"She's my biggest critic, she always comes to watch me," he said then.

"She asks what I'm doing, why am I arguing with the referee. 'All you've done today is turn up to shout at people, why don't you concentrate on playing football?'

"If I don't, they [Sofia and his daughter, Delfina] won't come and watch me anymore. These are things my wife has picked up on and so has everyone else, so it has made me think."

Gerrard eye Derby win for Carra

Steven Gerrard wants Liverpool to send Jamie Carragher into retirement with one last derby victory on his CV.



Carragher comes up against the club he supported as a boy this Sunday in the final derby of his 16-year Anfield career.



The 35-year-old will swap Melwood for the Sky Sports studios next season after signing up as a pundit, and Gerrard is desperate to send his long-time friend and team-mate off in style.





The Liverpool captain said: "I think being local lads we feel the passion in the city.



"Jamie will be playing at the weekend, he will be one of the first on the teamsheet and has been brilliant since he came back into the team.



"We're hoping to get a nice derby victory for Carra to remember because you will always remember your last derby.



"I'm going to miss him more than anyone. I'm close to Jamie on and off the pitch. It's an emotional time him packing it in but he is going on to Sky and I'm sure he'll do a fantastic job."


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Monday's round up of the top transfer rumours

- Arsenal and Liverpool look set to miss out on Isaac Cuenca once more after the Spanish starlet revealed his desire to spend another season at Ajax.



- Liverpool are stepping up interest in Sporting Lisbon defender Tiago Ilori, according to DailyMail.



- Robert Lewandowski’s agent has claimed a move to England this summer remains ‘unlikely’ despite recent reports suggesting something to the contrary.



- Manchester City believe they are winning the battle to sign Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- And Man City are also ready to enter the race to sign Lewandowski, according to the Daily Star Sunday.



- Manchester City face a battle with Juventus to clinch the signing of Sampdoria midfielder Pedro Obiang at the end of the season.



- Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has insisted that he will not be moving back to Boca Juniors this summer.



- Txiki Begiristain, Manchester City's director of football, has met the agent of Manuel Pellegrini, the Málaga coach who is a favoured option to replace Roberto Mancini should the Italian leave the club, according to The Guardian.



- Arsenal have opened preliminarily talks with Lyon over midfielder Maxime Gonalons after making him their number one summer transfer target, according to Metro.



- Sunderland want to sign on-loan left-back Danny Rose permanently and will offer his parent club Tottenham Hotspur around £8m for his services, according to the Metro.



- Tottenham are stepping up their interest in Spanish striker Roberto Soldado, according to the Mail on Sunday.



- Swansea boss Michael Laudrup has remained coy over reports linking him with Real Betis midfielder Jose Canas.



- West Ham United have seen off competition from Marseille to sign Romania's captain, Razvan Rat, on a three-year contract, according to The Guardian.



- Stoke midfielder Maurice Edu may make his loan switch from England to Turkey a permanent move.



- Queens Park Rangers defender Christopher Samba has admitted that he was not ready for the rigours of the Premier League when he agreed to join the club in January.



- Esteban Granero insists he wants to stay at QPR and tough it out in the Championship.



- QPR have begun their rebuilding process for next season by releasing youngster Bradley Simmonds.



- Tony Fernandes launched a scathing attack on his highly paid Queens Park Rangers flops on Monday as he confirmed Harry Redknapp will remain as the club’s manager.



- Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal has pledged his future to the club amid interest from the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich.



- Juventus general director Beppe Marotta has confirmed the club are keen on Arjen Robben and Alexis Sanchez.



- Geoffrey Kondogbia has snubbed interest from Manchester City and Arsenal to declare his intention to join Real Madrid.



- Arsenal target Julian Draxler has emphatically dismissed rumours he will join Borussia Dortmund next season.



- Former Germany international Patrick Owomoyela does not expect his contract with Borussia Dortmund to be extended beyond the end of the season.



- Galatasaray have added Manchester City left-back Gael Clichy to their summer transfer wishlist, according to DailyMail.



- Galatasaray have less than 24 hours to complete the permanent signing of Juventus midfielder Felipe Melo.



- Anzhi Makhachkala have denied reports that they are set to sign Felipe Santana from Borussia Dortmund.



- Marco van Ginkel has refused to dismiss speculation over his future, as he continues to be linked with a move to one of the giants of the Eredivisie.



- Bristol Rovers winger Joe Anyinsah will leave the Memorial Stadium this summer when his contract expires.



- Derby have offered Ben Davies a new contract, with the midfielder's current deal due to expire in the summer.



- Richard Wood heads a five-strong list of out-of-contract players released by Coventry.



- York City striker Jason Walker has confirmed he will leave the club this summer, while Matty Blair also appears set to leave.



- York City striker Jason Walker admits he would be interested in a move to Rotherham.



- Plymouth chairman James Brent expects John Sheridan to sign a new deal after Argyle secured their safety on the final day.



- Carlisle have released seven first-team players, including long-serving defender Peter Murphy.



- Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore is hopeful of extending goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams' stay at Prenton Park.



- And have offered new contracts to five players, with the same number told they can leave Prenton Park.



- Neal Trotman and Danny Whitaker are among seven players released by Chesterfield boss Paul Cook.



- Zoumana Bakayogo will take his time before deciding on his next move after seeing out his contract at Tranmere Rovers.



- Morecambe defender Will Haining will part ways with the League Two club this summer.

Borini determined to put injury woe behind

Fabio Borini is determined to play a starring role for Liverpool FC after putting his injury nightmare behind him.

The Italian striker enjoyed a dream return to action when he came off the bench to score his first Premier League goal for the Reds in Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Newcastle United.



Borini had been out for 10 weeks after dislocating his shoulder, having already sat out three months earlier in the campaign due to a broken foot.



It’s been a frustrating first season at Anfield for the £10.5million signing but he’s ready to make up for lost time.



“There was a lot of emotion after scoring that goal,” he said.



“It had been a long injury for me and a long wait to score in the Premier League.



“It came so soon after my first touch and it made it even better that I scored in front of our fans.



“I thanked them with my celebration because they have always been good to me and helped me through some tough times.



“I put my thumbs up to the bench to say thank you to

Brendan (Rodgers) and all the staff for the work they have done with me.



“It’s been hard. When I hurt my shoulder, they said my season could be cover. But I fought back as I really needed to come back earlier.



“I took the minimum possible to get back training which was eight weeks instead of 12. Some people probably didn’t think I could make it but I fought back.”


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Qatari company want to invest in Liverpool FC

Liverpool Football Club could be the next Premier League in line for major Qatari investment, according to a report published last night by Al Jazeera Sport.



The report states that Qatari telecommunications company Ooredoo is interested in investing significant amounts of money into the Anfield club in order to break into the Asian market.



Ooredoo is particularly interested in shirt sponsorship and naming rights to Anfield.



The report from Al Jazeera Sport quotes an Ooredoo director, who said:

“The goal was to sponsor a big English club with a huge history, our search included Arsenal and Manchester United but the former two have long sponsorship deals and the same applies to Manchester City, so Liverpool is the only club available right now.



“We want to sponsor the club in full. We want to sponsor the Stadium as well as the club’s kits.



“Our goal is to reach the Asian markets where the Premier League has an enormous fan base.



“We received the tender from the club a few days ago and we are currently in the process of due diligence and we are studying each aspect of the study.



“It is a dual interest, Liverpool needs the money to compete with the European heavyweights and we want to expand our brand to reach new markets via football.”

The current shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered is reported to end at the end of this season, and the club have been involved in talks to renew the deal. But the addition of Ooredoo to the negotiating table could help the Reds significantly increase their sponsorship revenue.



Formerly known as Qtel, Ooredoo is one of the major telecom providers in Qatar and is backed by the Qatari Royal family.

Alex Ferguson backs Liverpool actions

Sir Alex Ferguson feels Liverpool made the right decision in not trying to prevent a hefty ban for Luis Suarez by imposing one of their own.



He added that Manchester United would do the same if they were faced with a similar situation. However, he felt the penalty is far less severe than the one Eric Cantona received from the Football Association following his kung-fu kick on Matthew Simmons at Crystal Palace.



United suspended Cantona for the four months left that season, but FA increased Cantona’s ban to eight months. “I bet they are glad they didn’t (suspend Suarez themselves). It didn’t work for us,” Ferguson said.

“David Davies promised us if we did it there would be no more action taken. Think about that. A nine-month ban. It is quite incredible. I still can’t get my head round it.”

FA Reveals Reasoning Behind Suarez' 10 Game Ban

Sky Sports has reported on the FA’s news for the reasons they chose to ban Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for 10 games.



Suarez allegedly bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during the two clubs’ recent match, and the incident has reached much mainstream media attention, especially considering the 26-year-old is also in the midst of controversy having punched an opposing player during a recent international game for Uruguay.



The FA announced that they did not look at most incidents which had been cited as setting precedents, namely the likes of Callum McManaman’s horrific challenge on Newcastle’s Massadio Haidara, which they claimed was left out of their ruling as “the act of competing for the ball is part of the game.”



The 21-page report also explicitly states that many others were not taken into consideration, citing Ben Thatcher’s act of serious foul play in 2006 as an example.



The report says: “We were mindful that, in a game of football, the coming together of opposing players and physical bodily contacts in challenging for the ball is part of the game - albeit some of the challenges, regrettably, could lead to more serious injuries.”



They appear to have used an occurrence in March, when Brighton’s Ashley Barnes tripped the referee and was punished with a six game ban, as the precedent of choice, continuing: “We concluded that this offence is significantly more serious than that of Ashley Barnes' and, accordingly, the punishment should be significantly higher.



“The participants in a game of football do not expect to be bitten by another participant when they come to play football.



“In this incident, Mr Ivanovic would not, and should not, have been expected to be subject to such a shocking and reprehensible action.



“It seemed to us that Mr Suarez had not fully appreciated the gravity and seriousness of this truly exceptional incident.”



That latter claim is in reference to a statement from both Suarez and Liverpool that a three game ban would likely prove sufficient, leading the FA to believe that he took the incident too lightly.



Suarez did follow up the ruling with an official statement of his own yesterday, read Simon Wright’s article here for more information on the player’s response.