Liverpool Transfer Rumours: Reds' Summer Strategy Suggests Win-Now Mentality

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is not pulling any punches in the summer transfer market.

The Reds have already landed several marquee players in Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto to help the attack, along with defender Kolo Toure and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to fortify their own end of the pitch.

However, the club isn't done making personnel enhancements, and are clearly deploying an aggressive strategy bent on immediate improvement and contention for the English Premier League trophy this coming season.

According to a report by The Mirror's Darren Lewis, several targets still remain that Liverpool is keen on acquiring before the window closes.

Among the impressive list, the biggest prize would likely be Henrikh Mkhitaryan, an Armenian international who thrives as an attacking midfielder. Despite his position, he has been a prolific scorer for Ukrainian Premier League champion Shakhtar Donetsk.

Now it may be time to move to the English version of the Premier League for Mkhitaryan.

As Lewis points out, the 24-year-old scored 30 goals in all competitions last year and is a three-time Armenian Player of the Year.

Other prospective transfers include a centre-half and another defender, and the players that could fill those roles are Schalke 04 star Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Tiago Ilori of Sporting, respectively.

Papadopoulos is known for being such a wonderful talent, but he's also a bit of a loose cannon in terms of his personality, per The Guardian's Sachin Nakrani.

It makes some sense, though, because he's only 21 years old and has already emerged as such a big success. As long as Rodgers can harness his passion, the Greek should be a valuable asset for the immediate and long-term future.

Meanwhile, Ilori is a London native and could definitely be persuaded to step into the limelight of the EPL. Having a pair of youngsters on the back end with fresh legs would translate well to Rodgers' 4-2-1-2-1 formation and allow his new offensive weapons to roam free (h/t ESPN).

Lewis notes that the price is rather steep for both Papadopoulos and Ilori, but Anfield is becoming a hot spot this summer. Rodgers seems bent on the Reds making a leap from their seventh-place effort in the EPL this past season.

The added firepower to the attack would only be bolstered by a creative playmaker such as the 24-year-old Mkhitaryan. He would allow the club to not only have a more commanding grip on possession, but also provide another dangerous foot and generate chances for his new teammates.

If Rodgers can pull off the bargain for the aforementioned young cornerstones on defense, too, the Reds figure to be a significant factor in the EPL in 2013-14.