Hamburger Morgenpost Reports: Elijero Elia on His Way to Liverpool

As with every transfer window, clubs all over Europe are subject to intense speculation regarding player transfer. However, under the prevailing conditions at Liverpool, rumors seem all the more credible for all the obvious reasons.

As per recent reports published in the German Hamburger Morgenpost, Elijero Elia, the mercurial Dutch winger from Hamburg, has already agreed terms to join Liverpool FC. A bid of about €15m for the player is reported to have been made, and it should only be a matter of time before the player joins the Reds.

Although a few articles only days earlier reported that Liverpool's Director of Football Strategy, Damien Comolli, was not ready to part anything in excess of €3m for the player, the most recent news conveys that there seems to have been a major turn in developments.

Elijero Elia, however, could be well worth the money—if he could retain the form that he showed in the World Cup. Moreover, Elia was also a huge hit at FC Twente before moving to Hamburg last summer for about €8m.

The talented left winger, who can also play a second striker, has been linked with Liverpool for quite sometime—even last January under Rafael Benitez.

The player also has very good company in terms of achievements as a youngster. He made his debut for the Dutch national team in September 2009, a game in which he scored, and participated at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In 2009, Elia was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands. An award won by some of the very successful Dutch stars in the PL like Denis Bergkamp (1990), Robin Van Persie (2001-02), and Rafael Van Der Vaart (2000-01).

The records for the 5'9'' player look impressive even in his short career span at Germany, where he has played 34 matches for Hamburg and scored 7 times.

The 23-year-old Elia has also been keenly tracked by some Italian giants like Juventus, and, if the recent reports are true, it could be fair to assume that it was mainly due to the price war that Elia' s transfer fee has taken a soar.

However, Elia's signing could be followed by the departure of another promising Dutch talent, Ryan Babel, as he has struggled to secure regular first team action.

It would now be interesting if Liverpool went for Elia for the said price, as buying a striker of value would then make for some real cash splash in terms of what the Reds have done through in the last few windows. However, an exodus of players could lessen the impact of that on the net spend.