Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Andrea Pirlo, Jackson Martinez, Top Rumours

Liverpool are free to sign Andrea Pirlo after reports emerged that the ageing pass master is ready to leave Serie A giants Juventus, per Spanish website Fichajes.net (h/t Metro's Jamie Sanderson).  

The Reds have already talked about a deal to bring the 36-year-old Italy international to Anfield, according to Tuttosport (via talkSPORT). Sanderson noted how Chelsea are also keen, while a move to the MLS is also a real possibility.

Liverpool are already losing longtime skipper and club talisman Steven Gerrard to the LA Galaxy. Pirlo rates as a very interesting replacement for the outgoing Anfield legend.

Rightly considered a wizard in possession, the veteran schemer can still dictate games with his smart and varied range of passing. That's the job Gerrard thrived in for Liverpool last season.

Manager Brendan Rodgers moved him to the base of the midfield to act as a deep-lying quarterback. The ploy worked wonders when Gerrard was threading passes between the lines for Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling.

But things fell apart this season. Gerrard rarely featured amid his protracted exit from the club. With Suarez gone and Sturridge injured, he hasn't even had the targets to aim for when he has played.

That's something Pirlo may take into consideration as he considers a possible move to Merseyside. He's spent years playing the same deep playmaker role for Juve.

Pirlo's arrival would restore the fluidity and assurance Rodgers' team lacked on the ball toward the end of this season. Even at 36, landing Pirlo would represent a mild coup for the team that dropped from second to sixth in the Premier League.

Reds Have Chance to Sign Jackson Martinez

If Rodgers wants the right target for Pirlo to aim for, he won't find many better than Porto's Jackson Martinez. The Reds are now considering a £24.8 million swoop for the Colombian marksman, according to Portuguese publication O Jogo (h/t Metro's George Bellshaw).

Martinez is exactly the kind of quick, powerful and prolific natural No. 9 Liverpool desperately need. Rodgers' attempts to replace Suarez last summer only netted Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli. The misfiring pair then proceeded to only net three Premier League goals between them, per WhoScored.com.

But finding the net has never been a problem for Martinez. He's helped himself to 28 goals in domestic and UEFA Champions League action this term, according to WhoScored.com.

It's that kind of prolific form that's also drawn the attention of Premier League rivals Arsenal. The Gunners are said to have a pre-contract agreement to sign Martinez at the end of the season, per Portuguese source Jornal de Noticias (h/t Daily Mirror writer Liam Corless).

So Liverpool are likely to find it tough bringing Martinez to the Premier League without the lure of UEFA Champions League football.

Danny Ings Wants Liverpool Move Over Tottenham Switch

At least Rodgers knows he has an excellent chance of bringing Burnley forward Danny Ings to Anfield. The diminutive Clarets attacker has stated he prefers moving to Liverpool over the possibility of joining fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur, per the Independent's Sam Wallace.

Jon Super/Associated Press

He states Liverpool have always been Ings' "first choice." Yet, the same paper has reported how Spurs have maintained a strong interest in the 22-year-old who could cost up to £6 million in a tribunal-determined compensation fee this summer.

Publicly, at least, Ings has offered no clarity on his next club, per Burnley Express writer Chris Boden: “I’m not going to lie. I’ll sit down and discuss my future [after some downtime]. At the moment it’s all up in the air. I don’t know what’s going to happen."

Ings is an interesting fit for Liverpool. He's got plenty of pace and is a sharp and subtle mover in and around the box. Those qualities suit the kind of expansive passing game Rodgers loves his team to play—so will Ings' versatility.

He's less a traditional centre-forward and closer to an attacking midfielder or a No. 10. Liverpool have plenty of those already, but Rodgers always welcomes the fluidity they offer.

Ings and Pirlo seem like realistic gets for a club that cannot quite compete financially or, in terms of current prestige, with the Premier League's top four. Picking up skilled players who suit his system on a budget would be a great way for a manager who's under pressure to conduct his transfer business this summer.