Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Divock Origi, Pedro and Steven Gerrard

Lille boss Rene Girard has reiterated Divock Origi won't finish his loan spell early and head to Liverpool in January.

The Reds signed Origi in the summer before loaning him back to the French club, but Girard insists there will be no early Anfield arrival for the Belgian striker, as reported by RTBF and translated via Dov Rawson of 101 Great Goals:

"It's just a rumour (that Origi will leave early)," said Girard. "There is not truth to my knowledge. It was agreed that Divock would stay the year with us. There is no reason he would leave midway through the championship."

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Lille director Jean-Michel Vandamme recently said a premature recall would be "impossible," revealing Origi "will stay here until June," as reported by Jack Bezants of the Daily Mail. Such news will disappoint Liverpool fans, who have seen their side fail to score during the last two Premier League matches against Hull and Newcastle.

With Daniel Sturridge injured and Mario Balotelli performing poorly, manager Brendan Rodgers is likely to be looking for alternatives. Out-of-favour Barcelona star Pedro has been touted, per Fichajes and via the Metro, but he isn't an out-and-out striker.

Liverpool are well-covered on the wings, with Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho, Lazar Markovic, Adam Lallana and Suso all capable of playing wide, so Pedro's potential arrival may just emphasise the side's need for a natural finisher.

Former Reds player David Thompson believes he would be an excellent acquisition, however:

Despite his growing irrelevance at the Camp Nou, Pedro is a lethal forward when confident, as highlighted below:

Rodgers was quick to suggest a new deal is being prepared for Steven Gerrard after the defeat to Newcastle, as reported by Dominic King of the Daily Mail.

The ageing captain was Liverpool's best player on the day and dictated possession for the visiting side, who relied on long balls to try and gain momentum. Gerrard offered some creative spark, but the lack of tempo ensured his side's play remained predictable throughout.

After spending his entire career at Anfield, it would be easy to offer Gerrard extended terms out of sentimentality. Rodgers has suggested this won't come into his thinking and that the midfielder has earned a new deal, as reported by the Liverpool Echo and via ESPN:

"He's been absolutely brilliant for me, both on and off the field, as a leader and a captain," Rodgers said. "I want to ensure on this second curve we're on, in terms of the development of this group, that he is very much a part of that. There is certainly no sentiment involved in it."

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Rob Shepherd of the Daily Mail believes Gerrard could head to American side New York Cosmos while Joe Bernstein from the same publication says manager Manuel Pellegrini is interested in taking the player to Manchester City.

Pellegrini believes Gerrard "can continue at a high level for a couple more years" and recently compared him to Frank Lampard, who has performed admirably since being loaned from New York City FC after he exited Chelsea on a free transfer.

Lampard has scored important goals for the Etihad club—most notably in the draw with his former club—and is a cost-effective solution to UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. Gerrard could prove the same if he leaves Liverpool without a fee.

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Rodgers certainly has plenty to mull over. Liverpool need a greater array of strikers and would be smart to invest in a dominant centre-back.

While Gerrard's performance was useful against the Magpies, he has suffered with sloppiness and received criticism for some of his displays earlier in the season. The 34-year-old has been culpable of slowing Liverpool's attacking play at times but remains a leader in an otherwise inexperienced squad.

Rodgers knows he can't afford to let Gerrard leave and have him prosper elsewhere, so he would likely be backed into a corner even if Gerrard didn't remain vital to Liverpool's chances.