Liverpool Transfer News: Big-Money Stars Targeted to Rescue Reds' Season

What a difference a year makes. This time last season, Liverpool were being recognised as title candidates with the most feared strike force in the league. Now, they’re a club in turmoil.

Champions League football proved a passing fancy, while the Reds’ domestic form doesn’t exactly give fans anything to shout about, either—making the January transfer window hugely important.

Manager Brendan Rodgers needs to save his side’s season, and he reportedly has two stars lined up to do just that.

Fernando Torres

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Fernando Torres was once the man that every young fan wanted on the back of their shirt, but years of misfiring has suddenly made the Spaniard one of the coldest properties on the market.

Torres’ time at Liverpool saw him make his name as one of the best strikers in the world, and it seems a return to Anfield is very much on the cards—per Bruce Archer of the Daily Star.

Archer wrote that the Chelsea man’s two-year loan deal at AC Milan is set to be cancelled by the Italian outfit over poor goal returns, clearing the way for a shock move back to Merseyside.

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Liverpool are extremely goal shy at present, with Daniel Sturridge out injured, and the duo of Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli failing to prove their worth, but how exactly will Torres improve matters?

Reds fans need to stop focusing on the player Torres was, saying “he’s back” every time he finds the net—although needless to say, it doesn’t get said too often.

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The 30-year-old has scored just one goal in 10 games since making the switch to AC Milan, per SoccerWay, and he has put together a string of lacklustre performances in the process.

The Reds should look at Torres as the best sale they ever made and just sympathise with his outrageous demise—like journalist Thore Haugstad—but bringing him back simply can’t be an option.

If landing Balotelli was a big risk for Rodgers, then Torres would be like the manager hanging from a cliff by his little finger.

Likelihood Factor: 1/10

It’s a romantic tale, but you won’t be seeing Torres back in a Liverpool shirt anytime soon.

Jaime Baez

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If you can’t have the real Luis Suarez in your ranks, landing the player dubbed the next edition of the Barcelona striker is the next best thing.

The 19-year-old, currently plying his trade in the Uruguayan top flight with Atletico Juventud, is as highly rated as they come in South America, and James Cambridge of the Daily Express claimed Liverpool are in pole position to sign the youngster.

Cambridge wrote that the Reds have made a £3.2 million bid for Baez, who has demonstrated his lethal touch in front of goal several times this season.

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According to SoccerWay, the striker has found the net five times from 14 appearances this season, but his contribution doesn’t stop at scoring goals.

Baez’s direct approach (similar to Suarez’s) means that he makes openings for others with ease, and he’s certainly one for the future.

Is he the answer to Liverpool’s woes right now? In short, no, but preparing for the future rather than panic buying will be job No. 1 for Rodgers in January.

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That’s something that former player Mark Lawrenson agrees with, too, as he said that the Reds need performance improvements rather than personnel adjustments above all else—via David Prentice of the Liverpool Echo:

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Everyone is saying that Brendan Rodgers has got to buy players in January to turn things round but it is not that easy. For starters it is difficult to buy anybody of quality in January, but also, they need to improve in pretty much every department because nobody is playing well.

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While some fans would welcome Baez coming in for the misfiring Liverpool front line, he still has much to prove before competing at the highest level, although Rodgers’ reported faith speaks volumes.

Likelihood Factor: 8/10

The lure of Liverpool will prove too much for Baez to remain in his homeland, although the Reds will likely send him out on loan if he makes the switch.