Liverpool Transfer News: Mega Wilfried Bony Bid Expected by Jamie Carragher

In the space of a few months, Liverpool’s attacking play has gone from thrillingly incisive to perennially indecisive.

It’s a transformation of fortunes that was on show as the Reds showed staggering profligacy in front of goal at Old Trafford during Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, so it is perhaps little surprise that iconic figures from the club’s past are already citing potential forward reinforcements.

With eight Premier League goals and two assists already to his name this season, per WhoScored.com, there’s little denying that Swansea City’s Wilfried Bony would do plenty to revitalise this Liverpool front line, and Reds legend Jamie Carragher expects the club to make a big-money move for the burly forward, per Jack Wilson of the Daily Star:

"

I hope Liverpool sign him.

If Liverpool sign [Mario] Balotelli for £16 million, Bony is worth £20 million or £25 million.

I wish Liverpool [had] got him this summer, and I hope they're looking at him in the future.

"

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Bony is a player showing no signs of tailing off in his second season in the top flight of English football; if anything, the Ivory Coast international seems to be adding more desirable facets to his already devastating make-up.

His hold-up play is refined, his movement is understatedly intelligent and his powerful somatotype makes him a real handful for defenders.

But most crucially, the 26-year-old has shown a knack for knowing where the back of the net is, as we can see here, courtesy of Sky Sports News HQ:

His all-round play and goal return sheds an undesirable light on Liverpool’s striking options. Indeed, Daniel Sturridge—who has missed the vast majority of the season with injury—Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert boast a meagre two Premier League goals between them this season.

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Admittedly, there are other problems with this Reds team besides from their wastefulness in front of goal—the defence, for example, remains a major concern—but the performance at Old Trafford has brought this new-found problem into sharp focus, as demonstrated by Squawka Football:

In the summer, there may have been an argument to say that Bony wasn’t the right stylistic fit for the direction Rodgers looked to be taking his effervescent Liverpool squad. After all, it was a brisk, high-tempo brand of football that nearly brought the title to Anfield, and for all of Bony’s qualities, he’s not a player tailored for playing on the break.

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But now things seemed to have changed for the Merseyside outfit, and it’s become increasingly apparent that without the dazzling movement and ingenuity of Sturridge, there is no alternative ploy. That's something Bony would undeniably bring to this Liverpool setup should a deal be struck, and he could potentially form a formidable partnership with the England man.

Kartik Krishnaiyer of World Soccer Talk thinks Bony would be ideal for the Anfield club:

Swansea won't be willing to sell, however. The player signed a new deal with the club in November, per BBC Sport, so if Liverpool were looking to bring Bony in during the January transfer window, he may well command a transfer fee a little higher than the aforementioned figures quoted by Carragher.

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In addition, the Reds' owners may not be so keen to part with that kind of money in January, given Rodgers spent a whopping amount in the summer to try and cover for the loss of Luis Suarez. Up to now, the vast majority of the manager's signings have left much to be desired, as noted here by Luke Reddy of BBC Sport:

Ultimately, much will depend on whether Rodgers and the owners are after a short-term solution. If they see it as imperative that the club breaches the top four again this season, a player in the mould of Bony could add some major impetus to the team in the run-in.

But given the summer splurge, the imminent return of Sturridge and with Divock Origi set to join up with the team in the summer, perhaps Liverpool supporters will have to wait a little longer before they see their team rediscover their attacking panache.