Liverpool's summer spending spree is underway, with the Reds landing a midfielder and a defender, although they will have to wait until after the World Cup to secure the services of their main target, Southampton captain Adam Lallana.
First up, the club has confirmed that it has "agreed a deal in principle" with Bayer Leverkusen to sign 20-year-old Emre Can. Football and principles are not two words that are often found in the same sentence, certainly as far as Fifa is concerned, but it appears the Reds and the German outfit have thrashed out a deal for Can, a Germany under-21 midfielder who helped Leverkusen to fourth last season. The youngster only joined Leverkusen from Bayern Munich last summer but Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes Can is the Man for the Merseyside club.
The Mirror claims that the Reds have also agreed a five-year deal with Spanish left-back Alberto Moreno. The 21-year-old, who missed out on Spain's World Cup squad, will fly into Anfield next week for a medical and to thrash out personal terms after his current club, Sevilla, accepted an offer of £17.9m. Liverpool had been chasing the defender for some time and fought off competition from Spurs to secure his signature.
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However, the Reds' pursuit of Southampton and England man Lallana has been put on hold until after the World Cup says Goal.com. Liverpool have had an offer of £25m turned down by Southampton, but Lallana is desperate to move to Anfield and will submit a transfer request when he gets back from Brazil - so expect the deal to be done by the end of the month.
In other news, it has fallen to the wonderfully-named Wessel Weezenberg to declare that Dutch midfielder Jordy Clasie's future is still up for the grabs. Weezenberg, the agent of the Feyenoord star and not a character from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, was addressing speculation that Arsenal and Manchester United are both battling for the hand of the 22-year-old playmaker.
The Daily Star reports Weezenberg saying that there "has been no contact recently" with United, the Gunners or Fiorentina (also said to be chasing Clasie) but admitted a move was a possibility. "Jordy's future will probably be decided after the World Cup," said Weezenberg. The Star says that bookies have made United favourites to sign Clasie with compatriot Robin van Persie likely to do his utmost to entice his international teammate to Old Trafford.
And it appears that Arsenal have also drawn a blank in their pursuit of Cardiff keeper David Marshall. The Daily Express claims that the Gunners' initial offer of £6m for the Scottish keeper was thrown back in their face with Cardiff adamant they won't sell the 29-year-old gloveman for a penny less than £15m. Tottenham are also said to be sniffing around Marshalll though it's believed his preferred choice is the Emirates. But with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger well known for being tighter than the tendinosis in Ronaldo's left knee it may be that Spurs nip in ahead of their north London rivals.
That could also present a problem with his other goalkeeping target, Iker Casillas of Real Madrid. Spanish rag AS reports that Wenger is still keen on the stopper and wants to bring him to London as a rival to Wojciech Szczesny. However, Casillas, who appeared to be on the way out at Madrid last season, has had a rethink after the club won the Champions League and now he fancies staying. That means that Arsenal will be forced to offer big money if they want the Spanish stopper.
Meanwhile Aston Villa have signed Philippe Senderos on a two-year deal after the Swiss defender was released by Fulham. Currently part of Switzerland's World Cup squad, the former Arsenal man told Villa's official website he was looking forward to the challenge of Villa Park. "This is a team and a club which wants to do better, I know this, and hopefully we can all develop together and create something special," said the 29-year-old, who spent four seasons at Craven Cottage before their relegation last month to the Championship. "My goal is to help the team keep as many clean sheets as we can."
According to Italian website Calciomercato.com, new Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is poised to make a move for Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso. As from this month the former Real Madrid man is a free agent and sources in Italy say that Pochettino has wasted no time in giving his Argentine buddy a bell and telling him he would like to see him at the Lane. It's believed the 33-year-old Cambiasso is weighing up the offer and has yet to decide if the Europa League really tickles his fancy.
