Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Ciro Immobile and Martin Montoya Rumours

Liverpool will face stiff competition in their apparent pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Ciro Immobile this summer, with emerging reports suggesting that the Italian international is also a target for AC Milan.

That’s according to talkSPORT (h/t Marc Williams of the Daily Star), who claim that the Rossoneri are preparing a £13 million bid to sign the 25-year-old. Here’s a look at what they’d be getting for that kind of premium:

Immobile has struggled for form ever since making his big-money switch from Torino to Dortmund last summer. He’s failed to fill the immense void left by Robert Lewandowski with much distinction, but to be fair to the Azzurri man, for large parts of this campaign the entire BVB side have left much to be desired.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

The Italian has been made something of a scapegoat, however, with some reports in Germany suggesting that he may already be on his way out of the club, per Bleacher Report’s German football expert Clark Whitney:

Immobile could potentially be a very savvy acquisition on the part of Brendan Rodgers. He looked like an extremely capable forward for the Granata last season, with the creative talents of Alessio Cerci helping him net a clutch of goals. At Dortmund, he’s simply not had service of a comparable standard.

Indeed, even some of the BVB players have been quick to admit that’s the case, per German football expert Sandra Goldschmidt:

Milan would surely appeal to the Italian international. While they’ve suffered a substantial fall from grace as of late, the Serie A giants still command an enormous gravitas and Immobile would be plying his trade in a league that he already knows he is capable of flourishing in. Given the Rossoneri’s struggles, he’d surely be leading the line at the San Siro, too.

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Liverpool probably wouldn’t be able to offer quite as much in terms of first-team reassurances, and given how Immobile his struggled to cope with the ferocity of the Bundesliga, the chances are he’d find things even more difficult in the Premier League. At this juncture, he doesn’t look like quite the right fit for the Reds.

Martin Montoya Wants Reds Move

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The Barcelona full-back’s future remains a hot topic of speculation, and according to The Telegraph, the defender has told the club he’s looking for a move away. That will be music to Liverpool’s ears, who—according to the piece—have been keeping tabs on the Spanish star for the past 18 months.

Here’s a glimpse at what Montoya could potentially add to this Liverpool team:

The Reds certainly require a right-back. Glen Johnson’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, Jon Flanagan remains sidelined and Javier Manquillo has yet to fully convince since his loan move from Atletico Madrid. As such, Montoya—whose contract with Barcelona expires this summer—would potentially be an excellent signing.

However, as we can see here courtesy of barcastuff, the player’s agent has recently confirmed that talks are to take place between Montoya and the club come the end of the campaign:

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Carrasco (agent Montoya): "He's happier now, he's playing more. At the end of the season we'll talk with Barça to see what's best." [tmw]

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) March 28, 2015"

The situation looks likely to hinge on Dani Alves. The Brazilian’s long-term future with the Catalonians remains in doubt, as his contract is due to run out at the end of this season. With Barcelona unable to bring in an immediate replacement because of their transfer sanctions, if Alves leaves, Montoya could be thrust into the first-team fold.

For a young man who’s come up through the club’s ranks, that would be an incredible opportunity to stake a claim for a starting spot. But if Alves does commit to a longer stay with the La Liga giants, Montoya would remain a deputy and, subsequently, would surely push for a move away from the club in order to get more first-team football.