6 Aug 2014

Better than Bony? LFC plan €30m bid for striker who wants 'to be like Batistuta'

There's no two ways about it: Liverpool desperately need to sign a top-class striker before the end of August, and given Daniel Sturridge's ongoing injury problems, the need to replace Luis Suarez is becoming increasingly acute. Ezequiel Lavezzi and Wilfried Bony continue to be linked with the Reds, and the latest name to enter the fray is Inter Milan attacker Mauro Icardi.

According to sources in Italy:

* Liverpool are interested in signing Icardi this summer.

* The Reds are planning to make a €30m offer for the 21-year old striker.

This is not the first time Liverpool have been linked with the 21-year old Argentinian. In 2013, the Daily Mail claimed:

"Liverpool have enquired about Sampdoria striker Mauro Icardi. The Argentine has also been watched by Tottenham and Manchester City".

Some info about Icardi:

* Spent 3 years at Barcelona before his €400k move to Sampdoria.
* 11 goals/2 assists in 33 apps for Samdoria.
* Last season: 9 goals 2 assists in 23 apps for Inter.
* 1 appearance for the senior Argentina team.
* Current contract expires in 2018.
* Missed 10 games through injury last season.
* In a recent interview, Icrdi reveals he wants to 'be like Gabriel Batistuta'

Inter Boss Walter Mazzari is convinced that 'perfect' Icardi is destined for great things, but in a recent interview, he sounded a note of caution over the striker's development, and urged him to focus on his game. He told reporters recently:

"If he [Icardi] can keep this up and get some flaws out of his game, he can be a great player. He has all the characteristics of a real striker. He's a striker with a true striker's characteristics, and he just has to focus. Personal things need to be put aside. Footballers are professionals and they mustn't forget that."

If there's any truth to this rumour then, in my view, it's utter madness. €30m on a 21-year old serie A striker? You're having a laugh. In what universe is Icardi better value than Premier League-proven Bony, or the massively experienced Ezequiel Lavezzi?

This deal is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Rodgers' is seemingly obsessed with bringing young players into Liverpool's squad. Indeed, over the last year, LFC's boss has spent £54m over on players in the 18-21 age range, so it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he splurged big bucks on yet another alleged 'star of the future'.

I sincerely doubt, however, that LFC fans will be happy to see Liverpool spend €30m of Suarez's transfer fee on an inexperienced 21-year old. Plus, there's the Serie A factor to consider - players from the Italian league never do well for Liverpool, with Fabio Borini being the most recent example.

Author:


59 comments:

  1. and peole say balo isnt worth a punt at 14m

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  2. Worth a punt when Milan are willing to let him go for peanuts to get rid of him and his me me me...


    Have we not been over this?

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  3. I wouldn't say players from the italian league never do well for us. Coutinho's doing well.

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  4. No comment...just for you.

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  5. Coutinho played in Spain the season we signed him. Many players from the Serie A have struggled in the EPL.


    It is a league for players made of glass.

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  6. just about the best option we have, great pace and strength good on the ball would suit our play and enjoy his football. and experienced for the champs league what more could you want, regardless of the risks, thats life full of risks ey

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  7. He's only a Serie A player because he wanted to move up in a pecking order. He was at Barca for nearly 3 years. LFC actually targeted him 2008, but Barca won the contest. He's probably pretty good, but we already know Bony is better than pretty good. This might be a smokescreen to hide the fact we're really going for someone else and being used to reign in outlandish transfer fees by other clubs for the player we really want.

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  8. subterfuge or cloak and dagger tactics is ian ayre capable of either
    the usual tactic is a front page spread saying we want to buy a player at all costs.

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  9. but knowing how much you like the guy i thought id bring it up again.

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  10. ill take that as your coming round to the idea

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  11. Just how much you like most of our current players too...

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  12. That would be a stretch...the no comment would be my present to you of sparing you another windy refutation...which you could probably recite from memory at this point.

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  13. like is probably not the best word to use logster i like chicken kebabs not sure i like footballers well not in that context anyway

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  14. Have to be honest and say I'd never heard of this dude til I saw a story linking him with us. €30 million? If this turns out to be true I'll donate my bollocks to medical science.
    Going off topic, QPR have confirmed the loan signing of Isla from Juve? Am I the only one who thinks we should've tried to loan Johnson to QPR, subsidised some of his wages if necessary and done the Isla loan deal ourselves? Or Dani Alves. Or ANYONE APART FROM GLEN JOHNSON!!

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  15. Yea man we've done this to death. Taking a punt on balotelli would be like taking a punt on a 3 legged greyhound

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  16. You are the one who used the word like first mate?

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  17. I've a half-eaten peanut stuck in my beard. I've drawn a 2 on it and am willing to sell to LFC for a knock-down price. Throw it on the pitch in Johnson's stead and our defense instantly improves

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  18. I would even give the youngster Peterson a chance before letting Balotelli ruining the positive vibe in our squad.

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  19. I'm so bored of this transfer window, the Moreno deal is doing my head in.

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  20. Nobody seems to be chasing him. Overhyped?

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  21. Just when I thought Vidal was worth signing...

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  22. Didn't impress as expected last season. Stalled.

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  23. Do you reckon you can persuade Brendan to give me a trial?

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  24. Where have you been???

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  25. I'll cover the transfer cost

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  26. After all the Maxi Lopez/Wanda Nara bollocks, I'd rather not have the Icardi sideshow role into the town.


    That said being a bastard is a pretty good quality in a centre-forward.

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  27. No need you're guilty

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  28. We have to face facts, there just aren't that many strikers out there that both fit the bill and are realistically available. If Borini leaves, I wouldn't be surprised to see us going back for Remy

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  29. In place of Johnson? Most definitely!

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  30. All the players perfect for us have all not come through. Remy was perfect but no. Sanchez was perfect but no. I say either lacazette or lavezzi.

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  31. Not my first choice but niether is Bony. Also......
    "Players from the Italian league never do well for Liverpool" Which league a player previously played in has NO indication of his suitability for Liverpool. What would stop a player formerly of the Serie A being a good signing? Liverpool have only ever had 4 Italians play for the club, the first being only 8 years ago, not enough time to truly judge. Also......... Icardi is Argentinian not Italian. ALSO........and this is where it rrrreeeeeaaaaaallly blows it right out of the water............Phillipe Coutinho!!!! We signed him from Inter, a team i am pretty sure is from Italy.....no?............;-) ALSO! He is awesome!!!!!

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  32. Lacazette would be my choice

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  33. won't happen it's nothing but rumours

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  34. Guilty of one count of excessive sex appeal.

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  35. I see myself as the perfect Suarez replacement. No matter how well Sturridge plays, I promise to have a go at him.

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  36. You're in! 250k a week ok?

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  37. Worth a try you might get a more lenient sentence if you say things which are completely mad.

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  38. I thought you were a lover not a biter

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  39. Bony is the man, go and get him or flush the season down the toilet!!

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  40. You haven't specified the currency, but I'm going to trust you not to screw and just accept.

    Please don't be Zimbabwean dollars. Again.

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  41. I'm both.


    What can I say? I'm a kinky guy.

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  42. I agree that it is mad how sexy I am.

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  43. Yep that's the kind of thing worth trying

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  44. I'll give you coutinho, but how many other Serie A players (not just Italians) have been successful in the EPL...for any team? There are some, but not many. If Icardi isn't putting great numbers up for Inter, I'm not confident he'll do it for us. Also, what'll we do then with Borini, Origi, and Yesil?

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  45. Lavezzi would actually be a pretty solid signing. Good player in his prime, when he gets older we have Origi to take his place. If we go with strikers too much younger than Lavezzi we'll have too much competition between Borini, Ibe, Sterling, Markovic, etc. If Borini was out of the picture though, we could use Lacazette.

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  46. For God's sake; NO MORE PUNTING!!!!!! sign 2 of the following three people:
    Reus, Bony, Lavezzi. We need at least 3 strikers with injuries and big schedule. Even at that we really need a total of four and we have on, sort of, in Lambert. We should try for Bony, Lavezzi, Reus or someone that makes the total strikers on the roster at 4. If we keep Borini for some inexplicable reason, then sign two of these guys or someone else. But for God's sake, GET ON WITH IT!!!!!!!!

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  47. Agree 100%..................Balo is a rubber room patient...............

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  48. I wonder if Lallana ever played in Italy.....................

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  49. You are spot on my friend. I was thinking the exact thing when I heard the news. Isla would have been a good add............

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  50. I don't see Ibe or Sterling as a striker............we need ruthless finishers as well as the attack minded wingers like Ibe, Sterling and Markovic. Notice the lack of Lallana on this list...........

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  51. Sanchez would've been just too good to be true. Take him and Remy out of the equation and there's just no other stand out candidate. We do need that other striker tho

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  52. I was under the assumption that we were after a player who will start the wing and play backup striker to Sturridge. Like Remy, Origi, Borini, Lavezzi, and Lacazette. If we brought in a player like that Lacazette he'd be competing with Markovic and Sterling, and eventually Origi and Ibe for playing time most of his LFC career since Sturridge is hardly that old. If we brought in, say, Lavezzi, he'd compete only with Markovic and Sterling for a few years, and will be out of the way by the time the youngsters mature, and Origi moves central. Not to mention he offers a bit of experience and leadership.

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  53. Now you're sounding like Zapp Brannigan.

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  54. In fairness to Zapp, I also find the most erotic part of a woman is the boobies

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