Liverpool Transfer News: Radamel Falcao Bid, Alexandre Lacazette Rumours Emerge

Liverpool's season thus far has been largely shaped by the inability of their current strike force to make the same impact as Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge did in the 2013-14 term.

Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert have failed to fill the void left by the departed Suarez and the injured Sturridge; thus, it is unsurprising the Reds are being linked with numerous forward men in the January transfer market.

The most recent report suggests that Brendan Rodgers is going after Lyon sensation Alexandre Lacazette, whose goals have lit up Ligue 1 this term.

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The Frenchman has netted 20 times in 21 appearances in the league, per WhoScored.com, and Le10sport.com (h/t Telegraph Sport) is now reporting that Liverpool are preparing an imminent bid for the 23-year-old.

It is unclear how highly Lyon value their star striker after an incredible first half of the season, but it is likely to be significantly more now than the £20 million price tag quoted in the summer, per Squawka.

The Anfield outfit will have to be prepared to spend big if they want to sign Lacazette, and they will most certainly face fierce competition, with Paris St-Germain also reportedly interested, per Le10sport.com's report.

However, he would be hugely valuable to Liverpool, who currently lack a goalscorer of Lacazette's quality, and they could potentially offset some of the fee by offloading summer flop Balotelli, as B/R UK's Andy Brassell suggests below:

Rodgers' purchase of Balotelli for £16 million in August always seemed like a risky move, but the Northern Irishman had few other options available to him at the time.

It has now emerged, though, that the Reds did pursue a loan move for Radamel Falcao before the Colombian opted to temporarily switch from Monaco to Manchester United instead.

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James Dickenson in the Daily Express relays RMC reports that Liverpool agreed to a £12 million deal to take the 28-year-old Falcao on loan, only for United to beat them to the signing. 

Falcao has been criticised for underperforming at United so far in 2014-15, but as WhoScored's Ben McAleer notes, he has actually been largely effective and certainly would have been an improvement on the Balotelli signing had he made the switch to Liverpool:

Duncan Castles recently reported in The Sunday Times that Liverpool have inquired again about the availability of Falcao, with United looking unlikely to make his loan deal at Old Trafford permanent come the end of the season.

It seems Rodgers is still keen on the striker and rightly so considering his quality throughout his career, especially in his time at Atletico Madrid and Porto.

Whether it be Falcao or Lacazette, Liverpool desperately need to sign a world-class striker, if not in the current transfer window then definitely come the summer or else risk falling away from their Premier League rivals.