Liverpool Transfer News: Radamel Falcao Talks Held, Juan Iturbe Rumours Grow

Jorge Mendes, the hot-shot agent of Radamel Falcao, is aiming to convince Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers to sign his client on a full-time contract, according to Anthony Chapman of the Express.

Mendes is "trying to persuade" Rodgers that the Colombian, who has massively disappointed while on loan at Manchester United this season, is worth buying from Monaco. With just four goals in 22 Premier League matches, per WhoScored.com, this could be something of a hard sell.

Falcao's injury problems have severely limited his productivity. At 29 years old, it's debatable whether he will ever return to the form he produced at Porto and Atletico Madrid that saw him become a superstar.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

He returned to Louis van Gaal's starting lineup for Saturday's loss to Chelsea but was easily bullied by John Terry and gave the ball away in the buildup to the Blues' winner. Falcao missed an excellent opportunity to equalise in the second half, crashing an awkward shot off the post, as United left Stamford Bridge pointless after a confident team performance.

Rodgers will likely improve his attacking options in the summer, but gambling on Falcao would be an almighty risk. This is particularly true when this season's punt, taken on a certain Mario Balotelli, has yielded little success.

£18M Iturbe Booed by Roma Fans

Jamie Sanderson of Metro believes Liverpool have made "an £18 million bid" for Roma's Juan Iturbe, another move that could be labelled gutsy at this point. The Argentinian has scored one and assisted one in 20 Serie A appearances this season, per WhoScored, and he is yet to deliver on his potential.

Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press

Italian football specialist David Amoyal highlighted his recent troubles in the capital:

Iturbe has insisted that he wants to stay and show the Roma fans his true quality, per Sky (h/t Football Italia).

"

I still have a lot to learn. I only arrived this year and there’s still a long way to go. I want to stay here, it’s only my first year, and I want to achieve so many beautiful things with this club which has invested a lot in me. I want to prove myself on the pitch.

"

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

The 21-year-old is still adapting after moving to the Italian capital from Verona, so a big-money move to England isn't going to improve his confidence. Rodgers has plenty of developing talents to utilise in the final third—Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe to name two—but his Liverpool squad needs to add experienced winners.

This was evident during Sunday's FA Cup semi-final, which they lost 2-1 to a resurgent Aston Villa side.

The defeat means Rodgers will go at least three years without a trophy at Anfield, a marker that will force many to question his long-term suitability for his role. Liverpool's season has so far been defined by their falling short in big matches, with Premier League losses to Manchester United and Arsenal preceding the Villa defeat to leave their top-four and silverware hopes in tatters.

B/R UK's Sam Tighe recently offered suggestions as to whom the side should target in the transfer window:

Summer transfer activity needs to be sensible. It's not worth taking a chance on misfiring players who would still command a hefty fee.

Rodgers needs reliability, a steady output of goals and players who would bring a sense of confidence to Merseyside. Neither Falcao nor Iturbe fall into these categories right now.