Liverpool Transfer News: William Carvalho Bid Eyed, Fresh Miralem Pjanic Rumours

Liverpool are reportedly ready to rival Arsenal and Manchester United for the services of Sporting's William Carvalho as an alternative to AS Roma's Miralem Pjanic, as the Italians have insisted their star midfielder won't be leaving the club at the end of the 2014-15 season.

According to the Daily Mirror's Adrian Kajumba, the Giallorossi initially wanted £37 million for Pjanic, but the club's owners have since stepped in to inform the Reds the 24-year-old won't move under any circumstances. And that has brought Brendan Rodgers and Co. to Carvalho:

"

Roma officials are understood to have suggested the potentially off-putting price for Bosnia midfielder Pjanic to test how serious Liverpool are about trying to sign him.

But when Liverpool's interest was referred up to Roma's owners, who have the final say on any transfers, they insisted Pjanic is going nowhere no matter how much Liverpool offer.

[...] But for now Liverpool are considering alternatives and had defensive midfielder Carvalho, 22, watched in Sporting Lisbon's 3-0 defeat to Porto on Sunday.

Angola-born Portugal international Carvalho is also on Arsenal and Manchester United's radars.

"

For those of you with short memories, Carvalho was one of the hottest names on the rumour mill throughout 2014, and he was linked with a move to the Premier League during the last winter window. As reported by the Daily Mirror's John Cross, he expressed his desire to play in England:

"

My dream is to play in England. I know some clubs are interested but my agent Jorge is looking after it and I am relaxed.

Now my mission is to work in Sporting and they will be in charge of any transfer and my future. That is very important.

"

The powerful midfielder made a huge impression during the 2013-14 campaign, anchoring Sporting and exploding on the international scene, but after an inconsistent showing at the 2014 World Cup, his play regressed.

The 22-year-old has bags of potential, combining incredible physical tools and raw strength with impressive vision and passing range. He does his best work in a deep role, however, offering little in terms of attacking output. As a direct replacement for Steven Gerrard, the Portugal international would make little sense.

Bosnia's Pjanic is the exact opposite—a fantastic offensive weapon adept at playing the through ball and scoring from distance, with limited range to play in a less advanced role. Writing for Bleacher Report UK, This is Anfield doubts whether he could fill Gerrard's shoes:

Both are fantastic football players, but neither will come cheap. Carvalho has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and United, via Cross—Sporting will make sure a bidding war ensues should the youngster leave the club in the coming years.

Pjanic's form has somewhat dropped in recent weeks, but he remains a pivotal figure for the Giallorossi, who can offer him almost guaranteed entry into the UEFA Champions League due to the struggles of a number of Serie A teams on the domestic level.

Roma have told off potential buyers only to turn around and sell before. Per Sky Sports, star centre-back Mehdi Benatia was supposedly "not for sale" during the summer but moved to Bayern Munich a few weeks later.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Reds pursue one of the duo heading into the summer transfer window, but while both would make excellent additions to Rodgers' squad, fans shouldn't be expecting the "next Gerrard" should either walk through the doors at Anfield.

Follow @ReverschPass