Liverpool Transfer News: Latest Reports on Brendan Rodgers' Plans and Targets

Liverpool enjoyed a bustling summer transfer window, remodelling their squad in drastic measure, but Brendan Rodgers appears eager to continue strengthening this winter.

The Reds manager will most likely base his midseason recruitment around the team's success in competition up until that point, but certain targets have already risen as potential candidates.

The latest gossip and rumours dictate that Liverpool will cast their eye towards the Bundesliga and free-agent market to plot their next moves, with World Cup winners among the closest candidates.

Xherdan Shaqiri

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri has for some time been linked with an Anfield switch and has revealed that the Reds made an unsuccessful attempt on his signature this summer.

Rodgers made significant additions to his flanks with the signings of Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic, but Shaqiri hints he may have been a priority for the club, quoted by Sky Sports as saying:

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Liverpool made a bid for me before the World Cup but Bayern put their foot down and told me, ‘We’re not going to sell you’. My contract runs until 2016 and I could possibly extend it. I will consider my decision during the winter break.

"

The Swiss speedster has faced incredible adversity in trying to land a starting place at the Allianz Arena, but Bundesliga Fanatic's Cristian Nyari is of the impression this will only make him a better performer:

One would be tempted to disagree with such a disposition considering Shaqiri is now 22, heading into a stage of his career where first-team experience will become more and more critical to his development.

Bayern weren't willing to hand their talent a departure over the summer, however, and if Shaqiri does pen a new deal in Bavaria, it would make any 2015 move for his services highly improbable.

Christoph Kramer

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Featuring as a shock starter in Germany's 2014 World Cup final success has done Christoph Kramer's reputation no harm, with numerous European big guns aiming to sign the midfielder as a free agent next summer.

Liverpool allegedly sit among that number, and Metro's Vaishali Bhardwaj writes that Rodgers' side will go up against Manchester United in a bid to make him theirs.

The official Bundesliga Twitter account recently posted footage of what the 23-year-old is capable of:

Bayer Leverkusen will regret farming out the talent they're set to relinquish for nothing, with Kramer currently one year into a two-season spell at Borussia Monchengladbach, his deal with the Factory Squad set to expire next summer.

German newspaper Bild (h/t TalkSPORT) says "Gladbach have offered a fee of £12 million to ensure Kramer remains their player on a permanent basis, meaning the Premier League's powerhouses may be forced to stump up in January if they wish to remain in the race."

Victor Valdes

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Victor Valdes will become a Liverpool player next month providing he can pass a medical, reports the Daily Mail's Dominic King.

The Spaniard is a free agent since leaving Barcelona on a free transfer in June, but WhoScored.com illustrates that the stopper can still perform to an elite standard:

Rodgers brought in Simon Mignolet from Sunderland last summer but wants strong competition for the Belgian. The manager was quoted by the Liverpool Echo (h/t Sky Sports) in saying of his No. 1 back in April:

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I've been delighted with Simon since he has come in. I think he's an outstanding goalkeeper who is only going to get better and better. He has come into a huge club and replaced a legendary figure at the club in Pepe Reina. That was always going to take a bit of time.

But over the course of the season he has made a big contribution. I don't forget the significance of some of the saves he has made. Simon hasn't ever cost us a game but he has certainly gained us points. He's an excellent goalkeeper.

"

That disposition may not have changed, but the preference of possessing two top-class goalkeepers has become a growing trend among Europe's giants of late.

Now back in the Champions League, depth in all sectors will be something of a priority for Rodgers, and that would appear to include who reigns between his posts.