Liverpool are increasingly optimistic about signing Shakhtar Donetsk's £22m-rated midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan while uncertainty continues over the futures of Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll.
Brendan Rodgers has made the Armenian international a prime target as he seeks to inject "an extra 20 goals" into his team next season, having already agreed a £7.
Liverpool's star striker Luis Suarez has paved the way for a Summer exit from Anfield. Speaking to the Uruguayan press ahead of the Confederates Cup Suarez said: "I'm happy at Liverpool, I'm happy because of the fans. I made a mistake, I'm human, but they've talked about me in ways they shouldn't have.
After a mixed first Season for Liverpool's Manager Brendan Rodgers, where the team started off in August with Luis Suarez as their only striker, the team and squad were of the pace actually being as low as 12th place at one stage.
However, the new passing and pressing game being introduced by Rodgers began to see a gradual improvement in results and performances as the team moved up to 8th in the League around Christmas.
Guest Writer:
Liverpool FC News
Liverpool FC will be saying farewell to one if its greatest players this week. Jamie Carragher is ending his career as a defender which started with the team in 1997. He has been a brilliant player and has played in more than 730 games in his illustrious career.
Jamie Carragher will be playing his final game for Liverpool on Sunday 19th May 2013. having won two FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, one Champions League, one UEFA Cup and two Super Cups in his 16th years playing with the club he loves.
Naturally, it promises to be an emotional day for the crowd, if not the player himself who has vowed not to shed a single tear, preferring, instead to concentrate on the job of playing well on the pitch and ensuring that Liverpool emerge victorious in their final game of the Season.
Liverpool v QPR
Liverpool face into their final game of the season and Jamie Carragher's final game ever for the club this Sunday.
It is sure to be a highly-charged occasion for the man who has played 736 games for the club and Anfield will be rocking to his every tackle, tousle and triumph in the game.
Major news concerning the future of Liverpool FC is that Quatari Telecoms Giants: Ooredoo wish to buy a majority stake-holding in John W Henry's Liverpool. It is believed that FSG are under some financial stress with their baseball team barely breaking even and their other team Liverpool costing them money in terms of cash already invested and the knowledge that much more investment is needed to get the players in who will challenge for the top four next Season.
The papers have swung into overdrive today with some saying that Athletico Madrid will bid £40 million for Liverpool's controversial goal-machine Luis Suarez.
Despite LFC and the player himself publicly stating that Suarez is happy at Anfield, this hasn't stopped the speculation continuing as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Edison Cavani is urgently required by the Madrid club.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, was in Northern Ireland yesterday at the launch of the Annual International Youth Milk Cup.
He did a press-conference at the opening of the event and gave his thoughts on the Summer transfer-window and the need for new faces at Liverpool for next Season:
"The club respect where we need to strengthen and where we need to improve," Rodgers told Sky Sports.
So there you have it, living proof that Jamie Carragher will be hanging up his boots in May for good to join Sky's team of analysts in August.
Shame to see you go lad, looking forward to seeing you promote Liverpool FC on Sky, unlike Rednapp and Souness, former Reds who show very little loyalty to the club that made them famous.
ROUGH CHART OF HOW LIVERPOOL HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SEASON
I think we are in 7th, good going for a team that had only Luis Suarez as our lone striker from August to January.
Good to see Sturridge play so well on Saturday, 6-0 what a result, well done Coutinho and Henderson.
Liverpool head to St James Park in Newcastle without Luis Suarez, serving the 1st of his mammoth ten-match ban by the FA.
This will give Daniel Sturridge the chance to grasp the nettle and gasp the chance to really showcase his obvious talents in a Liverpool shirt for a prolonged period of time, lets hope he takes the chance and bangs in the goals he is well capable of scoring.
Liverpool and Luis Suarez have until mid-day this Friday to make an official appeal against the severity of the ten-game ban handed down to Suarez by a supposedly 'Independent' FA panel.
The length of the ban is almost unprecented in the footballing community as Brendan Rodgers said at length in his press conference today.
| EVRA INSULTS BOSTON VICTIMS |
Patrice Evra has made a shocking and highly inappropriate gesture towards Luis Suarez and more importantly, the Boston bombing tragedy in the US by picking up a grotesque fake severed arm during Man Utd's title-winning celebrations last evening.
Kenny is coming home
by Tony Barrett of The Times
