Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Marco Reus and Major Stars Linked to Reds

Liverpool's reported aspirations to sign Marco Reus have all but ended after the German forward suffered an ankle ligament injury during Borussia Dortmund's weekend draw with Paderborn.

Reus is expected to miss the rest of the year and therefore not be fit during the January transfer window, reported by Izzy Horsefield of the Express. Although it's unlikely Liverpool would have beaten the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich to Reus' signature, Brendan Rodgers can now focus on other targets without the lure of BVB's hitman clouding his thoughts.

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Porto's Jackson Martinez has long been linked with a move to England, but only now has Rodgers "identified the Colombian star as the man to spearhead the Reds attack in the second half of the season," reported by Alex Harris of the Daily Star.

A sizeable £30 million fee is outlined for the 28-year-old who has netted 11 goals in 14 appearances across Liga Sagres and the Champions League this campaign, per WhoScored.com. Portuguese newspapers A Bola and Record suggest Arsenal will try to capture Martinez during the winter, though, as tweeted by 101 Great Goals:

Martinez recently revealed he hopes to land a summer move away from the Estadio do Dragao. "My agent is in charge of the negotiations, I prefer to stay out of it," said the forward, per Harris' report. "At the end of the season I hope to get some interesting proposals."

The proven striker certainly offers a more active output than Mario Balotelli, who is yet to score in the Premier League this season. Despite Rickie Lambert opening his account during Sunday's 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace, Rodgers knows improvements are a must.

"We need to find a solution quickly because this is very disappointing, and we have no one but ourselves to blame," said the Northern Irishman, reported by BBC Sport.

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Rodgers was linked with moves for Hoffenheim duo Roberto Firmino and Kevin Volland in October, but sporting director Alexander Rose quickly denied the pair would be sold. He has reiterated this position and suggested a January swoop isn't possible, reported by Sport1 (h/t Harris):

"Until the end of the season neither of them will move because if you watch them play you understand that have not been forced to remain in Hoffenheim, but they are happy to play with this team," said Rose.

Liverpool are 18 points off the Premier League summit and face an important Champions League trip to Ludogorets before hosting Stoke in the domestic division. Failure to win both of these matches could leave Rodgers' tenure in a questionable position.

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Jurgen Klopp is now being linked to the club, summed by up Barry Glendenning of The Guardian, as Rodgers' improvement needs to be speedy and emphatic. Former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher certainly isn't impressed with the manager's signings, reported by Jack Wilson of the Daily Star:

"

You’re already looking at the players and thinking ‘Liverpool need four or five players. Last season when they came here we said ‘mentally and physically weak’. Same again, nothing’s changed. £120 million spent and Luis Suarez has gone – so what? – they’re still mentally weak with no leadership.

"

January may be Rodgers' last chance to exert influence over his squad. Daniel Sturridge's injury continues to halt Liverpool's post-Luis Suarez success, but his fitness problems are something the club should be prepared for.

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Balotelli's transfer was a calculated risk that is yet to pay off, underlining how Rodgers' slew of summer signings have failed to impress. Leaders are needed as Steven Gerrard's influence wains and the side's midfield is easily bypassed. Spending a large fee on someone of Martinez's ilk can only help in the short-term, as plenty of players in the squad need to step up.

Rodgers made Liverpool an extremely attractive outfit to watch last year. Now on a run of four games without a win, he's likely to find it far more difficult to land world-class signings if the poor form continues into January.