LIVERPOOL TRANSFER NEWS: Sigurdsson, Tello, Aquilani and Cole Involved In Latest Speculation

By Jason Le Miere | June 15 2012 1:06 PM

New boss Brendan Rodgers is hard at work, sculpting a team that fits his tactics. After being hired by the club in early June, Rodgers has promised a new age of Liverpool football that will more closely match with the European Champions of old.

Reuters

Gylfi Sigurdsson registered seven goals and three assists from 17 appearances at Swansea last season

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However, he has also acknowledged that the squad has a long way to go before being able to match up with Premier League juggernauts like Manchester City and Arsenal:

What we need to do is improve the team and the quality of the team and hopefully over the next couple of years we will be ready to challenge and ready to compete.

Rodgers has gotten right to work, it seems, as the Mirror report that Gylfi Sigurdsson will be following Rodgers to Anfield from Swansea City. After a successful half-season on-loan to Swansea from Hoffenheim, The Mirror claims that Sigurdsson has all but decided to nix a deal that would have him permanently join the Welsh club.

The 22-year-old Icelandic International midfielder was set to leave Hoffenheim for a fee of £6.8million, but did not sign the deal after it became apparent that Rodgers would be leaving Swansea. Now Sigurdsson looks likely to go to Liverpool, but will give Swansea the respect of meeting new manager Michael Laudrup to explain his choice.

In order to build a strong team, Rodgers is also targeting players with top level experience. The Daily Mail is reporting that Liverpool is going after Barcelona's Spanish forward, Cristian Tello. At only 20-years old, the youngster already has seven goals in 15 appearances for the Catalan kings. According to The Daily Mail, Liverpool have been told that the price tag on Tello is £7million.

If that price proves to be too steep for Rodgers, he can always turn to previously exiled players Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani. Both midfielders spent last season on-loan, with Aquilani returning to his home country to play for AC Milan. The 27-year-old scored once in 23 appearances last year, and The Sun reports that his future will be decided sooner rather than later.

The tabloid relates quotes from Aquilani's agent, Franco Zaviglia, who stated:

We expect a response from Liverpool which should arrive within a week.

I don't know if he [Aquilani] wants to stay at Milan, we shall see. We just have to wait and see what happens and what Liverpool decides.

Aquilani would be a great addition to Liverpool's midfield with his pinpoint passing skill. At the very least, Liverpool will hope to recoup some of the £20 million paid to Roma back in 2009.