Transfer deadline day is like Christmas to us at Football FanCast Towers; a 24-hour bonanza of deal after deal, some expected and others not, with Sky Sports’ Jim White playing the role of merry old St. Nick.
There haven’t been too many presents to speak of today – in fact, the majority of deals thus far, such as Robert Huth’s loan move to Leicester City, have constituted more stocking fillers than the kind of prezzies you’ve been begging your mum all year for.
But we’ve still got enough time before the 11pm deadline to see some bigger bids come into fruition, particularly some involving Liverpool.
Indeed, the Reds are yet to make an inward acquisition this month, suggesting they might be depending upon the magic of deadline day to get a few transfers across the line.
With that in mind, here’s FIVE deals that could still happen at Anfield.
DANNY INGS
Age: 22
Height: 5 foot 11
Position: Striker, No.10
Teams: Bournemouth, Burnley, England U21s
Honours: Championship Runner-Up 2013/14, Championship Player of the Year 2013/14
Interested clubs: Liverpool, Spurs, Real Sociedad, according to The Express
Likely transfer fee: £5million according to Mirror Football
THE LOWDOWN
Liverpool have been trying to thrash out a deal with Burnley this month to sign contract rebel Danny Ings before loaning him back to the Turf Moor outfit for the remainder of the season.
The 22 year-old has emerged as one of the top flight’s most exciting prospects this term after firing Burnley to the Premier League with 21 goals last year, netting seven goals and grabbing three assists in his last 15 league outings, not to mention an impressive return of four-in-seven for the England U21s.
With his contract up at the end of the campaign and a new deal yet to materialise, he’s attracted plenty of attention this month and as previously mentioned, the Merseysiders have been working hard on a deal.
Their proposed loan arrangement would be prohibited under Premier League laws however, so the Reds could attempt to buy his services outright by the end of the day – as speculated by The Daily Star.
The Daily Mail, on the other hand, claim Ings has agreed a pre-contract deal to join David Moyes’ Real Sociedad at the end of the season.
ASIER ILLARRAMENDI
Age: 24
Height: 5 foot 10
Position: Defensive Midfield
Teams: Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, Spain U21s
Honours: European U21 Championship 2013, Copa del Rey 2014, Champions League 2014, Club World Cup 2014
Interested clubs: Arsenal and Liverpool, according to The Metro
Likely transfer fee: £18million, per The Metro once again
THE LOWDOWN
According to the Metro, Liverpool are preparing an £18million bid for Real Madrid’s Asier Illarramendi, but Arsenal are ready to rival any offer from the Merseysiders.
Real Madrid splashed out a whopping €32million on the defensive midfielder in summer 2013, viewing him as the ideal long-term successor to Xabi Alonso; sharing the former Anfield star’s tough-tackling and long-range passing game.
It’s not quite kicked off for Illarramendi at the Bernabeu however, resulting in him making just four starts in La Liga this season, and the recent signing of the like-minded Lucas Silva from Cruzeiro suggests Los Blancos would be prepared to part with the midfielder this month.
In fact, he’s already rejected moves to Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, his former club, according to The Metro, so the assumption is that he’s waiting for an offer from the Premier League. With Steven Gerrard departing at the end of the campaign, the Spaniard could well be his eventual replacement.
EZEQUEIL LAVEZZI
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Age: 29
Height: 5 foot 8
Position: Winger/forward
Teams: Estudiantes, Genoa, San Lorenzo, Napoli, PSG, Argentina
Honours: Coppa Italia 2012, Ligue 1 title 2013 and 2014, Coupe de la Ligue 2014, Olympic Gold Medalist 2008, World Cup 2014 runner-up
Interested clubs: Liverpool, Arsenal, Napoli according to the Daily Star
Likely transfer fee: £14million, according to just about everybody, including The Star
THE LOWDOWN
Offering a new sense of tenacity and versatility to Liverpool’s attack is PSG winger-forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, who was linked with an Anfield switch during the summer as a like-minded replacement to Barcelona-bound Luis Suarez.
The Argentina international is famed for his relentless work-rate, dynamic pace and positive output, amassing 25 goals and 21 assists in 109 appearances for PSG and 48 goals and 49 assists in 188 outings for former club Napoli.
He appears to be on his way out of Parc de Princes however, having managed just nine Ligue 1 starts this season and recently earned himself a three-match internal ban for missing PSG’s winter training camp.
With the Naples outfit unlikely to re-sign him this month and Arsenal relatively well-endowed in the winger-forward department, Liverpool are certainly leading the race for the £14million-rated attacker. But can they get a deal done in time?
ANDRE PIERRE GIGNAC
Age: 29
Height: 6 foot 1
Position: Striker
Teams: Lorient, Toulouse, Marseille, France
Interested clubs: Liverpool, according to The Daily Star
Likely transfer fee: Unconfirmed, but likely around the £5million mark
THE LOWDOWN
According to The Daily Star, Liverpool could launch a late swoop for Marseille’s in-form, contractually rebellious striker Andre Pierre Gignac this evening.
The 29 year-old’s career hasn’t always been smooth sailing, with French football fans up and down the country once signing ‘Un Big Mac pour Gignac’ at the previously overweight striker, but he’s been nothing short of potent this term, netting 14 goals in 23 League appearances for L’OM.
His contract has now entered it’s final six months and, with a new deal yet to materialise, The Star claim Liverpool will attempt to prize him away in a cut-price deal.
Marseille are currently second in the Ligue 1 table however, just two points behind league leaders Lyon, so convincing them to sell without time to find a viable replacement will be a rather tough task. Then again, we’ve seen crazier things happen on deadline day.
WINSTON REID
Age: 26
Height: 6 foot 3
Positions: Centre-back only
Teams: Midtjylland, West Ham, New Zealand
Honours: Championship Playoff winner 2011/12, Hammer of the Year 2012/13
Linked clubs: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs according to The Daily Star
Likely transfer fee: £6.5million according to Mirror Football, £20million according to Sam Allardyce.
THE LOWDOWN
According to Mirror Football, Liverpool will make a last-minute £6.5million bid for West Ham’s Winston Reid, as the East London club comes under threat of losing their star defender for nothing at the end of the campaign.
The New Zealand skipper may not be the most talented centre-back to ever grace Anfield in technical terms, but he’s an undisputed master of the nuts and bolts of the defensive trade – tackles, headers, interceptions and clearances – and is blessed with the awkward, gangly and physical frame of a modern day Martin Keown.
The 26 year-old’s contract is set to expire in June and Hammers owner David Sullivan has recently admitted that he wants to join a club offering European football.
Liverpool certainly fall into that remit and although their defensive form has improved in recent weeks, Reid would be a solid addition to the squad – especially with Kolo Toure likely to leave the Merseysiders at the end of the season.
The Evening Standard, however, claim the centre-back has already decided to join Tottenham Hotspur on a free contract in the summer.