Liverpool have stepped up their interest in young Danish
star Christian Eriksen, following final checks during the international break.
Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has been impressed with scouting
reports about the Ajax playmaker and, after watching him play for his country
against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria over the past week, the Anfield club
are ready to take the plunge with a firm offer.
After refusing the Dutch giants' offer of a new contract,
21-year-old Eriksen will be made available for transfer in the summer as he
will be entering the final year of his current deal.
The midfielder's profile suits Liverpool's blueprint for new
players so perfectly, they are ready to go head to head with the likes of Inter
Milan, Tottenham and perhaps Chelsea - who have been linked with Eriksen
recently - for his services.
Rodgers knows there will be competition for a player who
already has 34 Denmark caps, but he believes he has two trump-cards he can
play.
Not only is Liverpool centre-half Daniel Agger the
midfielder's captain at international level, but Eriksen also played alongside
Luis Suarez when he first broke into the Ajax first-team in 2010.
The player is also known to have an affinity for the Reds
and has hinted strongly in recent weeks that he will leave Holland at the end
of the season, with a switch to the Premier League his most likely option.
"I don't know if I will be an Ajax player after the
summer - we will see what happens. I don't exclude anything," he said.
"I haven't received a detailed offer of a contract
extension yet, but my agent has had talks with the club regarding that
matter."
Liverpool were busy during the international break, with
Eriksen one of several summer targets to be scouted while playing for their
country.
Rodgers is determined to add a creative midfielder in the
close-season, and he has identified several targets, to try to ensure he
doesn't miss out if his first choice is tempted away elsewhere.
The Anfield boss is also highly impressed by Armenia
attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and sent Anfield's head of analytics
Michael Edwards - one of the key men in Liverpool's recruitment team - to
Yereven to watch the 24-year-old play for his country against Czech Republic.
Edwards was joined by Barry Hunter, Liverpool's overseas
scout.
Even though Armenia were beaten 3-0, the pair were impressed
by Mkhitaryan, who took man of the match honours in a losing cause.
The sticking point with the 24-year-old has always been the
fee - Shaktar Donetsk want £23million for a player they are convinced will
become one of the top stars in Europe.
Again, Mkhitaryan has aroused interest from other Premier
League clubs as well as Italy, but Rodgers will continue to monitor the situation
to see if he can negotiate a price that fits into his budget.
Newcastle midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa and Brazilian defender
Dede are also on Liverpool's radar.
Source http://www.mirror.co.uk
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