Liverpool Transfer Rumours: 5 Hottest Names Linked to the Reds This Summer

With just one more match to play during the present Premier League season, the gossip pages of the world media are hotting up and the name of Liverpool looks set to play a key role in filling the white spaces once more.

While plenty of central defenders can expect to see their names linked with the Anfield club this summer, it is unclear just what other roles manager Brendan Rodgers is looking to strengthen within his team as well. The Reds have therefore been linked with everything from deep playmaking midfielders to out and out strikers, and every kind of player in between.

Some of the rumours fail to spark the imagination of supporters—but others seem exciting, tangible and perfectly fitting pieces of the jigsaw that Rodgers is trying to place together. Here are five such names which have been linked to the Reds and would likely be fantastic additions to the side.

Toby Alderweireld

Starting at the back then...Toby Alderweireld is a Belgian defender currently playing in Holland with Ajax, and the Reds have been strongly linked with him this season (via Metro).

Alderweireld can play centrally or on the right side of defence, and as well as being a good reader of the game and able to make interceptions and tackles, he is also competent in bringing the ball out of defence into midfield.

A positive for the Reds would be that his contract has just one more year to run, meaning he should leave for no more than £6-8 million or so this summer, but that price tag combined with his abilities likely means there will be no shortage of takers.

Spurs and AS Roma are all said to be heavily interested in signing him.

Micah Richards

A very different kind of defender now, Micah Richards has previously been linked with a move to Anfield and is now being sounded out as a serious option for the Reds' back line (via Mirror).

Richards has predominantly played at right-back for Manchester City but has also had a season in the centre earlier in his career, the position he came through their youth system in. Richards has been injured for much of this campaign but was a regular last term as City won the Premier League title.

Powerful, athletic and extremely fast, Micah Richards isn't the tallest defender around but he possesses a great leap which makes him an asset in the air at either end of the pitch. Liverpool would do well to invest their money and time in securing Richards' services and moulding him into a real leader in the heart of the defence—but with PSG, Arsenal and more teams also interested, convincing him to move to Anfield might be the biggest challenge.

Lucas Digne

The Reds have been linked with a plethora of left-backs over the last couple of years, but the most recent name is perhaps also the most exciting one, with Lucas Digne the latest in the frame (via Mirror).

A young French left-back, Digne has earned many plaudits and excellent reviews for his attack-minded displays for Lille, and it is suspected that the Reds might have to pay around £8 million for his services. With Brendan Rodgers keen to reorganise his defence and improve on this campaign's goals conceded tally, it would seem as though the 19-year-old could be a realistic target.

Lille sit in fourth place at present in Ligue 1, one spot off the Champions League places, which could be a determining factor in the youngster deciding to leave this summer or not.

Christian Eriksen

Liverpool are going heavy on scouting for talent in the likes of France and Holland if the rumour mills are to be believed, and one of the biggest names the Reds have been continually linked with is Christian Eriksen (via Daily Mail).

The attacking central midfielder is high on many fans' wish-list for summer, having just one year left on his deal and widely acknowledged as likely to move on for around a £15 million fee, much lower than might be the case in a couple of years if he fulfills his potential.

With significant experience at just 21 years of age, having played in international tournaments, won league championships and shone in the Champions League, now is the time for Eriksen to move on—but do Liverpool now have room in their team for him? Playing in a central attacking midfield position, Eriksen is a playmaker with a great creative skill-set, but Philippe Coutinho has been excelling in such a role for the Reds of late.

Can Coutinho, Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Steven Gerrard and Christian Eriksen all feature in the same side, and can Brendan Rodgers maintain the balance of the team if he joins?

Kevin Strootman

We finish up with an undoubtedly immensely talented player who has been linked with Liverpool in Kevin Strootman (via Sky Sports), but again the same question is pertinent: Is there a space for him in the present Liverpool side?

Strootman operates in a central midfield position, and is capable of orchestrating play from a deep role or moving into more advanced positions during buildup play. His 10 assists in the Dutch Eredivisie this season is an impressive statistic, but in the present Liverpool setup he would appear to be vying for the same role as Steven Gerrard.

For Brendan Rodgers, again it would be a question of balance; is a midfield of Gerrard-Strootman solid enough defensively to leave out Lucas? Or, if Lucas is played behind those two centre midfielders, are the Reds losing too much in attack by not having a Coutinho/Eriksen figure roaming centrally behind the forwards?

These are all questions for the manager to take into account, but if Strootman is on Liverpool's radar and is available, perhaps the Reds have to simply take the opportunity to bring in a player of such great technical and, importantly, mental quality and worry about who to leave out when all the players are fighting for their places.

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