We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see ourPrivacy Noticefor details of your data protection rights
Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email
Top the table and points clear (with a game in hand) – Liverpool are the team to catch in the Premier League.
The Reds’ unprecedented start to the season means the rest of the league will be looking to respond and they may have to get their wallets out.
But how could the January transfer window of other clubs affectLiverpool– in both the short term and long term?
We’ve looked at the Reds’ league and traditional rivals and the business they could have completed by the end of this month .
Man City
Pep Guardiola is adamant that he will not add to his squad this month – but it’s Manchester City so the book is never completely closed.
Aymeric Laporte’s absence has been critical to City’s league form and they’ve had to get creative with center-back pairings this season. The Frenchman is expected back for the last 50 of the Champions League, which will likely now be their priority.
Follow all the latest Liverpool transfer newsHERE
It’s thought Guardiola would have £ 50 m to spend if the club did want to dip into the market – but there’s perhaps few players (at least well known ones) at that price who could improve their squad.
In the short-term – a lack of action could see City become more dangerous in Europe, if that’s where they focus their attention. What the club’s summer policy will be – and whether Guardiola will be around to dictate it, remains to be seen.
Chelsea
Now the club’s transfer ban has been lifted, Frank Lampard is expected to have at least £ (m to spend on new recruits.)
The Blues are currently fourth in the table and have put in some impressive performances – but a lack of consistency has seen them lose ground on those above them.
*******************
Jadon Sancho has been linked with a move to Liverpool once more(Image: TF-Images / Getty Images)
Chelsea want to strengthen their attacking options with the Blues having been reliant on Tammy Abraham for goals.Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho
, CSKO Moscow’s Fyodor Chalov and RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner – who have all been linked with moves to Liverpool in the past – are thought to be high on Lampard’s wish list.
Sancho in particular is a player many Reds fans would like to see at Anfield in the future but Chelsea’s need is greater – and perhaps they are more likely to meet the German’s asking price of around £ 150 m.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is thought to have a similar budget to Lampard – but according to the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson, only for summer targets that become available.
These include Sancho, James Maddison, Christian Eriksen and Declan Rice. United could sign Eriksen on a free in the summer and the likes of Maddison and Rice are not likely to be available with Leicester chasing Liverpool and West Ham needing to claw away from the relegation zone.
If Solskjaer is looking to the summer for transfers then United have to finish in the top four – otherwise he might not be around to make them.
Everton
Carlo Ancelotti arrived at Goodison Park with big ambitions to take Everton into the Champions League.
While that’s not likely to happen this season, the Blues have won two games from two since the Italian took charge and he’s expected to have money to spend this month.
Read More
Must-read Liverpool FC news
Everton will be hoping Ancelotti can use his influence to attract some big names and perhaps some of his former players.
Liverpool host their rivals in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday and they’re likely to face a tougher encounter than the 5-2 victory they claimed in December. By the time the two clubs meet in the league fixture at Goodison in March, the Blues may have some new faces to throw at the Reds.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings