B/R Gossip Roundup: Raheem Sterling Weighs Options, Arsenal Eye Yohan Cabaye
Liverpool players feature prominently in the latest edition of the B/R Gossip Roundup.
The Reds surged up the table with a strong run of form earlier this year, but after recent losses to Manchester United and Arsenal, some of the club's top players find themselves in the headlining the gossip pages.
Which other players are in the news? And which other clubs feature? Keep reading to find out.
Liverpool Must Counter Jordan Henderson-Chelsea Speculation Swiftly
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Perhaps it is the spectre of Raheem Sterling's contract situation. Maybe it's the dwindling hopes of Champions League football at Anfield next season. Whatever it is, Liverpool appear to be rich pickings for transfer speculation at the moment.
On the back of the 4-1 defeat at Arsenal, which left the Reds seven points adrift of the top four in the Premier League, another star name was linked with a move elsewhere.
This time, according to David Woods of the Daily Star, Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson is being eyed by Chelsea:
"Henderson has turned down a new contract understood to be worth £80,000 a week.
More talks are planned but Chelsea are monitoring the situation closely.
Most of the focus has been on [Raheem] Sterling's very public stand-off with the club after turning down a £100,000-a-week deal and putting all talks on hold until the end of the season.
But Sterling still has two years left on his deal while vice captain Henderson's case is seen as more urgent as he only has one year left come the end of the campaign.
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This is a potentially worrying situation for Liverpool after back-to-back defeats left them outside of the Champions League positions.
Henderson initially struggled to find form at Anfield following his move from Sunderland in 2011 but has since gone to become an integral part of the team under Brendan Rodgers.
And the England international is being widely tipped to take the captain's armband from Steven Gerrard when the current skipper leaves the club for LA Galaxy at the end of the season.
Having Henderson working alongside Nemanja Matic would be tempting for Jose Mourinho, and Liverpool must be wary they do not lose out here.
Believability Meter: Medium
Henderson has to come before Sterling as Liverpool prepare new contracts for their big-name players, if only because his current deal ends before the forward's, but the prospect of Champions League football must be uppermost in those players' minds.
As it stands, unlike Chelsea, Liverpool cannot offer that as a guarantee in negotiations.
The Reds need to act swiftly here or risking losing the midfielder and potential future skipper.
Reported Tottenham Clear-out Suggests New Policy at White Hart Lane
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If Mike McGrath of The Sun is to be believed, this is going to a summer of clearing the decks at Tottenham Hotspur.
According to the report, Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino is poised to shed Emmanuel Adebayor, Younes Kaboul, Etienne Capoue and Paulinho from his playing staff.
McGrath notes that the emergence of youngsters such as Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb has convinced the White Hart Lane club to change their big-spending policy.
Few could argue with that after their spending spree on the back of Gareth Bale's world-record transfer to Real Madrid in 2013 yielded precious little tangible reward.
Paulinho, Capoue, Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela were among the players to arrive at the north London club the summer Bale left, but arguably, only Christian Eriksen has proved his worth as part of that influx.
Adebayor, meanwhile, has remained an enigma for Tottenham since his season-long loan deal became permanent in 2012.
This season has seen the emergence of a younger crop of players, with both Kane and Mason also adding England senior appearances to their CV.
Pochettino's only January transfer signing was MK Dons midfielder Dele Alli, who was loaned back to the League One side until the end of the current campaign.
The free-spending transfer policy of years gone by looks to have been binned in favour of a more prudent and sensible look at the Spurs youth system.
Believability Meter: High
Tottenham failed to deliver in the wake of spending more than £100 million on a number of players across the world in 2013.
Pochettino has this season raided his youth system instead to great effect. Spurs might finish the current campaign without silverware or a European place, but hopes are high for their future thanks to their younger players.
Real Madrid Monitoring Raheem Sterling?
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Real Madrid Castilla manager Zinedine Zidane has said that the club is monitoring Liverpool's Raheem Sterling.
According to Sky Sports, the Madrid legend said:
"We know who Raheem Sterling is, and of course we are monitoring him as a player. We monitor many of the best young players in Europe, then if we feel they have something to offer Real Madrid we will contact their club and try and make the next step.
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Sterling, 20, recently told BBC Sport that he had turned down a new Liverpool contract worth £100,000 per week. The England forward also said that he does not "want to be perceived as a money-grabbing 20-year-old."
Believability Meter: High
Sterling is one of the top young talents in Europe. Real Madrid are always interested in signing the best players, so it makes sense that the club would be monitoring his progress.
It's likely the rumour will only strengthen Sterling's resolve. With a club such as Real Madrid showing an interest in him, he won't want to rush into making a decision about his future.
As if to illustrate the point, ESPN FC reported on Friday that Sterling will not sign a new contract with Liverpool this season and will instead assess his options in the summer.
PSG Midfielder Yohan Cabaye Would Suit Arsenal but Price Must Be Right
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It looks as though persistence might pay off for Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners boss was keen to sign France midfielder Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle United in the January 2014 transfer window, but Paris Saint-Germain offered £19 million for the player and won the race.
Now, however, The Daily Telegraph has reported that Wenger is finally set to sign the 29-year-old:
"Eighteen months after annoying Newcastle United by offering £10 million for their then captain Yohan Cabaye, Arsene Wenger is finally closing in on the France midfielder and for the fee that Alan Pardew rejected.
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""Newcastle finally let Cabaye leave for Paris Saint-Germain for £19 million in January [2014] but he has struggled to win a regular starting place under Lauent Blanc this season, appearing 19 times in Ligue 1 matches, nine of them off the bench.
"Although a central midfielder of Cabaye's type is no longer a priority area, the futures of Mathieu Flamini, Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta are still unresolved and Cabaye would enhance Wenger's options.
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As the articles notes, the Gunners are well stocked in central midfield, which would place a question mark over the future of a number of Emirates Stadium stars if the Cabaye move is successful.
PSG are considering an overhaul of their playing squad this summer, with the former Newcastle man expected to be high on the list of potential departures after failing to make a significant impact at the Parc des Princes.
But this deal will depend on valuation on the player. Previously, Arsenal's offer saw them miss out, but PSG could be tempted into accepting a reduced fee for a swift sale.
Believability Meter: Medium
Wenger is a known admirer of Cabaye, but this move will likely hinge on the transfer fee.
Liverpool Deal for Barcelona's Pedro Would Have Too Many Hurdles to Succeed
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In what could be a rather convoluted summer transfer, Pete Jenson of the Daily Mail has outlined a potential successor to Raheem Sterling at Liverpool.
According to the article, Barcelona forward Pedro is in the sights of Anfield manager Brendan Rodgers if Sterling leaves the Merseyside club:
"Barcelona forward Pedro's decision to consider his Camp Nou future at the end of the season could see him end up at Anfield if Liverpool sell Raheem Sterling.
The 27-year-old World Cup winner would command £90,000-a-week wages—£10,000 less than Liverpool have offered their 20-year-old winger.
Pedro would also cost considerably less than Sterling—understood to be available for £50 million—would sell for.
If that price does not deter Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal or Real Madrid then Pedro, who has been looked at before by Brendan Rodgers, would become a realistic target for Liverpool.
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Few would begrudge Pedro the chance to further his career away from Camp Nou after falling down the pecking order behind Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez under Luis Enrique.
Whenever he has been called upon, however, the 27-year-old has rarely let the Catalan giants down, which would make him an ideal target for a team requiring proven experience up front.
As with all Barcelona transfer dealings at the moment, everything is subject to the club's current transfer ban, with outgoings unlikely while the club cannot replace them with players outside of their own youth system.
Add in the fact that Sterling's own future remains undecided, and this rumour offers little to get excited about just yet.
Believability Meter: Low
Pedro would be a superb addition for Liverpool, but there are still too many variables to ensure this gets the green light this summer.
Rumoured Man City Interest in Philippe Coutinho Doesn't Add Up
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Manchester City are interested in signing Liverpool attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho, according to Adrian Kajumba at the Daily Mirror.
According to the report, City will make changes to their dquad this summer and are "plotting a move" for Coutinho, whose value is reported to be about £35 million.
Coutinho, 22, joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for £8.5 million in 2013. The Brazilian has scored four goals and recorded four assists in the Premier League this season, per WhoScored.com.
Believability Meter: Low
Like many other clubs, City could be interested in Coutinho. However, Coutinho recently signed a new deal with Liverpool.
As B/R's Allan Jiang notes: "If Manchester City really wanted Coutinho, they should have made a push in the January transfer window, since he committed long term to Liverpool in February."
Coutinho himself pledged his future to the club upon signing his new five-year deal.
