Liverpool Transfers: Analysis, Updates on 5 Targets with Deadline Day Coming

Liverpool got the majority of their transfer business done early this summer, with the moves for Simon Mignolet, Kolo Toure, Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas all done long before the Reds played their opening pre-season friendly.

When the real action started, all but Alberto featured and impressed in the 1-0 victory over Stoke City at Anfield on the opening day of the Premier League campaign.

But the need for Liverpool to bolster their squad even further still seems a very real one.

Boss Brendan Rodgers has frequently spoken of his desire to bring in further new faces this summer (LiverpoolFC.com), but with the closure of the transfer window fast approaching the Reds are running out of time to make those deals a reality.

Problem areas identified over the summer included left-back, centre-back and the attacking positions, and whilst the retention of Luis Suarez has made improvement in the latter area slightly less vital, the insatiable appetite that fans have for new signings still sees the club under pressure to deliver before September 2.

But who will they deliver?

Here's an update on five Reds targets as the clock ticks down.

Aly Cissokho

With Jack Robinson having been loaned to Championship side Blackpool, backup to Jose Enrique at left-back was dearly needed.

Aly Cissokho has been a name linked with Liverpool for quite some time (Metro), and when the Frenchman cropped up in the gossip columns again this summer many Reds fans took it with a pinch of salt.

Rodgers had reportedly been keen to add Benfica's Paraguayan left-back Lorenzo Melgarejo (Daily Mail), but problems with his work permit led to that deal being scuppered and the Reds looking instead at Guilherme Siqueira, the Brazilian who plays for La Liga club Granada (Daily Mirror).

A deal looked close to completion until the Spanish club increased their price at the last minute.

And so a loan deal for Cissokho, a powerful left-back who loves to get forward and who exploded onto the scene with Porto in the Champions League a few season ago, was then agreed (BBC).

Cissokho was then pictured training with the Liverpool squad (Daily Mirror), and a season-long loan deal with a view a permanent transfer next summer was completed (LiverpoolFC.com).

Status: Done deal!

Willian

Liverpool have talked about bringing in a big name, expensive signing all summer but they haven't yet delivered.

First it was Henrikh Mkhitaryan who was targeted, but the Armenian ended up moving to Borussia Dortmund, where he delivered some stark words about the Reds and just where they currently rank in world football (Yahoo).

The next big name to be seriously considered was the Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa (BBC), but the Brazilian ultimately signed a new contract in the Spanish capital.

And so where to turn to next? Dagestan, it seemed.

The Brazilian Willian, despite only moving to Anzhi Makhachkala from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, is available for transfer due to the sudden financial problems at the Russian club, and Liverpool wanted to be at the front of the queue (Liverpool Echo).

For a while it looked as though they were, but as with plenty of other Liverpool targets in the past (Gylfi Sigurdsson, Clint Dempsey, Roberto Soldado), Tottenham have muscled in and taken the lead in negotiations, and the Brazilian appears set for a switch to White Hart Lane (Daily Mail).

Status: Slipping away to Spurs

Tiago Ilori

Talk of Liverpool's move for the London-born Portuguese youth international defender Tiago Ilori was everywhere at the beginning of the summer (Liverpool Echo), but an apparent dispute with Sporting Lisbon over the fee led to those rumours dying away.

A classy operator who is comfortable bringing the ball out from the back, the 20-year-old Ilori has picked up experience playing in both the Portuguese top flight and the Europa League whilst with Sporting, and would seemingly fit in with the style of football that the Reds are looking to adopt.

Inevitably, Ilori has also been linked with a move to Tottenham (Daily Mail) as well as Chelsea (Metro), but Liverpool's need for quality backup to Daniel Agger and Kolo Toure could lead to them making another move for the Portuguese, especially as backup centre-back Sebastian Coates has been ruled out for up to six months with a cruciate knee ligament injury (Daily Mirror).

Reports indicate that Rodgers is ready to go back in for the centre-back (Daily Mirror), and he'll be hopeful that a deal can be done before the closure of the summer window.

Status: Keep an eye on it

Arda Turan

With the move for Cissokho now completed, Liverpool fans will be wondering if another player who has long been linked with the club will be making the switch to Anfield this summer.

The Turkish winger Arda Turan has been mentioned in connection with the Reds since back in his Galatasaray days (Daily Mail), with his name cropping up during the managerial reigns of both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish.

Now starting his third season at Atletico Madrid, Turan's apparent desire to move to the Premier League has seen him once again linked with a move to Liverpool, as well as Arsenal (Metro).

An apparent release clause of around £20m exists in the talented Turk's contract, and it remains to be seen whether Liverpool would pay that for a 26-year-old given the fact that the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Luis Alberto are already at the club.

Turan was even pictured in a Liverpool shirt when his good friend and international teammate Nuri Sahin joined the Reds last summer (Turkish-Football.com), and whilst he would seemingly welcome the move it is doubtful that Liverpool feel the same way.

Status: Unlikely

Will Hughes

The teenage Derby County midfielder Will Hughes has been catching the eye in the Championship for a couple of years, and that isn't just because of his bright blond hair.

There is an intelligence and maturity to his game that belies the fact he's only 18 years old, and having broken into the England U-21 setup last year―becoming the youngest Englishman capped at that level since Theo Walcott―it seems just a matter of time before the creative midfielder moves on to a bigger club.

As with all talented young Brits, Liverpool have been keeping an eye on Hughes, and there are now reports that the Reds are ready to bid £6 million for his services (Metro).

The concern for Hughes would be that, with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson at Anfield, he'd struggle to get into the team initially, and Derby could even explore the possibility of taking the Surrey-born youngster back on loan for the season in a similar manner that Crystal Palace did with Manchester United's Wilfried Zaha in the last campaign.

Having already made over 40 Championship appearances Hughes is very much one for the present and not the future though, and should they want him Liverpool are likely to have to move quickly to ward off suitors from elsewhere.

Status: One to watch