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[FATEone]

I doubt it. They'd be mental to have put a buyout clause into his contract, it's not common practice in France and if he really can be got for as little as £13.5m I think he'd be being linked with pretty much every big club in Europe. Diouf said he wouldn't consider selling him for less than £20m back in January so I'd be surprised if he really is available for so little.

A lot of places are saying he has a 12 or 13.5 million buy out clause.

[nohsa]

I cannot believe that Degen has been brought in. Dortmund fans are more than happy to see him leave. Like his brother he has not met any expectations. It is beyond me why he has been brought in, as he is really weak defensively but he is an attacking full back, maybe Rafa will play him on the right in midfield every now and again.

[FATEone]

Goran Pandev anyone?

[DeNeo]

We beat Chelsea 2-0 at Anfield last season.

Very true - how could I forget that

This season has corrupted my mind

I cannot believe that Degen has been brought in. Dortmund fans are more than happy to see him leave. Like his brother he has not met any expectations. It is beyond me why he has been brought in, as he is really weak defensively but he is an attacking full back, maybe Rafa will play him on the right in midfield every now and again.

Rafa did specify he was an attacking full back. Maybe he does plan to change the full backs to adapt to the new system.

Goran Pandev anyone?

Liverpool target weighs up Lazio exit

Goran Pandev's agent believes his player would fit in well with a top European club

The Macedonian striker is considering a summer move away from Lazio, where his displays in Serie A and the Champions League have been one of the few bright spots in the season.

Agent Carlo Pallavicino told the Italian press: “Goran believes in Lazio, but he is disappointed with the way the season went.

“He’s really devastated by it. A while ago, we met Lotito but we didn’t give any ultimatum and no gun was put to anyone’s head

“But Pandev has grown a lot and could play in any big European team.”

I seem to recall dogsout likes him...

[V3zna]

I cannot believe that Degen has been brought in. Dortmund fans are more than happy to see him leave. Like his brother he has not met any expectations. It is beyond me why he has been brought in, as he is really weak defensively but he is an attacking full back, maybe Rafa will play him on the right in midfield every now and again.

Benitez was linked with Degen in his Valencia days. He sees something in him that few others do.

Voronin Mk.2 confirmed.

[Commander Jameson]

Benitez was linked with Degen in his Valencia days. He sees something in him that few others do.

Voronin Mk.2 confirmed.

Kromkamp Mk 2 or Josemi Mk 2?

Hate to see us having to shop in the bargain bins of Europe. It's a little disturbing to not even see us linked with more high profile players.

[dogsout]

A lot of places are saying he has a 12 or 13.5 million buy out clause.

Yes, but they've only started saying it now. I remember the same thing being reported about Xabi Alonso this time last year and that turned out to be false. Most of the media still get thee fee for the Torres transfer wrong by £7m. Babel was said to have a £6m release clause only months before we signed him for £11.5m. Plus, it's silly season, we'll be linked with literally dozens of players this summer but we'll probably only sign about 4.

Having watched Nasri extensively since he broke into the first team I find it very hard to believe that such a notoriously brilliant negotiator as Pape Diouf would allow a release cause into his contract. He's their best player and one of Europe's most prodigious talents, he has years left on his contract and will have his pick of Europe's top clubs when he leaves, yet he has a release clause of £12.5m? It doesn't add up to me.

[dogsout]

Goran Pandev anyone?

I seem to recall dogsout likes him...

I do, for a fact. I posted about him in here ages ago but can't be bothered to find it without the search feature.

He'd bring creativity, guile and goals to the squad. According to Balague we're just waiting on a striker now so he could be it. If what he's saying is right we'll have brought in Degen, Barry, left back (Dossena please) and striker. The optimist in me wants to believe that the striker will be someone with the quality and versatility of Goran Pandev or Rodrigo Palacio. Maybe Zarate on loan wouldn't be out of the question...

[DeNeo]

The optimist in me wants to believe that the striker will be someone with the quality and versatility of Goran Pandev or Rodrigo Palacio. Maybe Zarate on loan wouldn't be out of the question...

Can any play in the Babel/Kuyt position? Ideally, if we're going to sell Crouch and Voronin (I hope those reports are true...), then we'll need a striker to replace Torres if (god forbid) he got injured. Of course one good enough to step into his shoes won't be wanting to be on the bench all season, so we'll need someone who can play in other positions.

[dogsout]

Great minds, Deneo. Pandev can lead the line, play as a second striker or wide in the the three. Palacio and Zarate can either play upfront or on the right. I'm hoping for a versatile forward rather than a striker.

[FATEone]

Great minds, Deneo. Pandev can lead the line, play as a second striker or wide in the the three. Palacio and Zarate can either play upfront or on the right. I'm hoping for a versatile forward rather than a striker.

Yeah trust me Pandev is quality, with the strength to hack it in the premiership. I've seen him play a few times and you're right he can run from both flanks as well as straight through the middle, is he Macedonian or something?

[V3zna]

Maybe Zarate on loan wouldn't be out of the question...

Has Zarate not only got a year left on his contract with his Saudi Arabian team though? Obviously meaning they need a fee for him this summer.

I read that at RAWK so it's possibly bullshit anyway.

[dogsout]

You're quite right. That probably rules him out, then.

[V3zna]

Udinese defender Andrea Dossena is close to agreeing a move to Liverpool, according to reports in Italy.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is on the lookout for a left-back to bolster his squad as it is expected John Arne Riise is set to leave Anfield this summer.

Tottenham are also chasing £9million-rated Dossena's signature and it is understood that the North London club had a bid rejected in the January transfer window.

However, it is rumoured that Udinese sporting director Pietro Leonardi recently flew to England to discuss a possible transfer with Liverpool.

The Reds, though, would face a battle to land 26-year-old Dossena as Serie A giants Juventus are also seeking close-season reinforcements.

Dossena, who has made one appearance for Italy, has played 63 games for Udinese since joining from Treviso in 2006 and he has scored two goals in that time.

[dogsout]

Paul Tomkins's new piece.

Pretty similar to some of my posts in here recently.

[Kelthink]

Stuff about Dossena

Whilst we need a Riise replacement, a guy who only has 2 goals in 63 games? Harumph. I thought we were after attack-minded side-backs. Ho-hum.

[Commander Jameson]

Whilst we need a Riise replacement, a guy who only has 2 goals in 63 games? Harumph. I thought we were after attack-minded side-backs. Ho-hum.

They don't need to be goal-scorers though. They do need to be able to push past the midfield and give them options to receive the ball in the final third of the pitch and to deliver good, fast crosses.

Whether Dossena can do that, I don't know.

[Marzipan Travolta]

Paul Tomkins' new piece.

Pretty similar to some of my posts in here recently.

I wish Tomkins were a united fan. He's an exceptional writer and his opinions truly feel like his own. The amount of thought he puts into his pieces on the liverpool site is stunning.

[dogsout]

I wish Tomkins were a united fan. He's an exceptional writer and his opinions truly feel like his own. The amount of thought he puts into his pieces on the liverpool site is stunning.

That's high praise coming from a United fan. He does a lot of research for all of his articles and books and has connections to some of the top statisticians in the game. He is often accused of being too optimistic but he can't put out anything too negative for the official site. I think he's a great sports writer and brings balance to a lot of the issues that many other journalists don't seem to research properly.

[dogsout]

They don't need to be goal-scorers though. They do need to be able to push past the midfield and give them options to receive the ball in the final third of the pitch and to deliver good, fast crosses.

Whether Dossena can do that, I don't know.

Exactly. Not many fullbacks are prolific scorers. I've seen quite a bit of him and he is very attacking and I'd be happy to see us sign him. I didn't think it would happen as he's seemed nailed on to join Juventus all season so it's a nice surprise for me.

[Shevchenko]

According to reports in Italy, Alonso should complete his move to Juventus next week. Surprised Rafa is letting him go, as he's your best passer.

[Guest]

I'm not...overly surprised. I like him, he's awesome. I just wonder if he has the pace for the English game.

[Commander Jameson]

True, he is not the fastest player, but I think it is more that he gets so little time on the ball in this league, especially since his second season onwards, when midfielders know to close him down quickly before he spray those delicious balls around the pitch.

I'd be sad to see him go as he has been exemplary as a player; just what a Liverpool player should be. But I would understand Rafa's reasons for letting him go. Plus, he would go down a storm in Italy with the slower pace of the game there.

[V3zna]

Alonso puts in a lot of tackles but his stats for goals and assists are really poor. Yes, I know he's a defensive midfielder but for a player of his passing ability not to contribute more, especially with Mascherano alongside him, upfield isn't good enough. I would be surprised by his departure though after his and Benitez's public denials that Xabi is going anywhere.

[Commander Jameson]

I wondered why we never played Alonso alongside Gerrard rather than alongside Mascherano in a 4-1-4-1 rather than 4-2-3-1, especially against weaker teams where the pressure on our back four is not so great. That would free Alonso up from some of his defensive duties and let him use his passing abilities higher up the pitch.

[a big boy]

That's high praise coming from a United fan. He does a lot of research for all of his articles and books and is has connections to some of the top statisticians in the game. He is often accused of being too optimistic but he can't put out anything too negative for the official site. I think he's a great sports writer and brings balance to a lot of the issues that many other journalists don't seem to research properly.

The man's a breath of fresh air.

I wouldn't worry about Dossena's scoring record if I were you. The finest left back in th world, Gael Clichy, doesnt get too many either.

[tenrou]

I'm disappointed to see Alonso going. Do we have a fee yet?

Also I'm a bit out of touch with the youth setup. I hear good things about Nemeth but are there any more promising youngsters? We've had quite a few nearly men recently and I think it would be good for morale to get another youth team player through.

[FATEone]

Whilst we need a Riise replacement, a guy who only has 2 goals in 63 games? Harumph. I thought we were after attack-minded side-backs. Ho-hum.

How many goals has Evra got? Would you have him? case closed.

[FATEone]

The man's a breath of fresh air.

I wouldn't worry about Dossena's scoring record if I were you. The finest left back in th world, Gael Clichy, doesnt get too many either.

I thought you were a QPR fan?

[FATEone]

The man's a breath of fresh air.

I wouldn't worry about Dossena's scoring record if I were you. The finest left back in th world, Gael Clichy, doesnt get too many either.

I thought you were a QPR fan?