da spicy bet： A free transfer that will cost £8m? Eh? Well Liverpool, according to the Daily Mail, may have to pay up to that for Danny Ings, despite the 22-year-old being out of contract soon.
da pinnacle： Due to him being under the age of 24, the Reds will have to reimburse Burnley for their contribution to his development, while Spurs’ cheeky £12m offer may serve to increase the fee needed due to the figure they could have received.
Although a good player, 11 goals in his maiden Premier League campaign is impressive, such a figure for a largely unproven player is a bit of a risk. So, what could the Merseysiders do with the sum should they opt to use the funds in a different way?
Well, here are a few options…
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Bridge the gap for Mateo Kovacic…
Reports suggest Liverpool are willing to pay £12.9m for Kovacic, but with Inter Milan holding out for around £18m, there’s some gap to be bridged.
Taking the Ings money and putting it in the ‘Kovacic kitty’ would close the void between the sides, and allow Liverpool to get in a player to help ease the blow of losing Steven Gerrard.
Sign Yevhen Konoplyanka & Andre Ayew
With £8m in the kitty, moves for free duo Konoplyanka and Ayew could be funded.
The pair are set to be out of contract soon, so without fees the figure it could take to land Ings may be enough to pay off signing on bonuses and large chunks of the players’ salaries.
Okay, neither can play up front, but their additions would give strength in attacking midfield and free up funds to push for a genuine top class centre-forward.
Pay off Brendan Rodgers…
Pay off Rodgers and get in Jurgen Klopp? Sounds tempting, doesn’t it.
Although the Northern Irishman is safe at the minute, his end-of-season review with the club’s owners is looming large, and it’s entirely feasible that the outcome of the meetings could be enough to see the ex-Swansea man ushered out.
Sacking him would command a fee, but £8m would surely be enough to cover that and provide Klopp with a new challenge…
Fund a move for Carlos Tevez
Despite being out of Fenway Sports Group’s desired transfer zone, 31-year-old Tevez is a target for Liverpool, according to reports.
The Argentine has little in the way of sell-on value, will command massive wages and sizable transfer fee, but getting him in would surely give the short-term boost the Reds need. Just a little more cash than is needed for Ings would likely be enough for the former Premier League champion.
Pay some of Mario Balotelli’s salary to get rid
Reports suggest that Balotelli is wanted by Sampdoria, but his massive £100,000-per-week salary is an issue for the Serie A side.
Although they’re believed to be open to the idea of paying a respectable fee, Liverpool may have to help fund the 24-year-old’s wages to get him off the books, which will command a bit of a fee.
So taking half the Ings figure and giving Divock Origi the nod when he comes back could clear up the Mario problem…