Hello and welcome to Wednesday's Liverpool live blog, where we will bring you the latest news on the Reds throughout the day.
Reports in Italy claim Paulo Dybala could yet extend his contract at Juventus amid rumours linking him with a move to Liverpool.
Elsewhere, Glen Johnson is of the view that the Reds will be 'kicking themselves' after missing out on the signing of Fabio Carvalho.
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Leicester City could be without Jamie Vardy and four others for Liverpool clash
Leicester City could be without five players, including Jamie Vardy, for the clash against Liverpool on Thursday night.
While there were no fresh injuries to report in Brendan Rodgers' pre-match press conference, his Foxes side remain without Vardy, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the reverse Premier League fixture in December.
Wesley Fofana (fibula), Jonny Evans (hamstring), Timothy Castagne (thigh) and Ryan Bertrand (knee) are also expected to be absent for the game at Anfield.
Leicester were, however, handed a boost with the return of Ricardo Pereira for their FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, the Portuguese international had recovered from a leg injury.
Coutinho on the scoresheet for Villa
Former Red Philippe Coutinho is lighting up Villa Park. Scores a crucial equaliser for his side against Leeds United.
Nat Phillips starts for Bournemouth
A league debut for Nat Phillips tonight against Birmingham City!
Good luck, Nat!
Matt Beard awarded manager of the month award
Liverpool Women boss Matt Beard has been awarded the FA Women's Championship manager of the month award for January, decided by the LMA Panel.
The Reds are currently nine points clear at the top of the table as they search for promotion to the WSL.
Luis Diaz has just given Mohamed Salah a reason to be excited at Liverpool
Diogo Jota is excited by Luis Diaz' arrival but he shouldn't be the only Liverpool player thinking this way, writes the Echo's Andrew Beasley.
Diaz’ Liverpool debut may have only lasted for a little over half an hour against Cardiff City, but he still had time to show supporters his strengths.
Though the assist for Takumi Minamino’s goal was officially awarded to Diogo Jota, after the ball came off his foot, in truth it came about thanks to the persistence of the Reds’ latest signing.
Diaz tackled Perry Ng, dribbled past Aden Flint and pulled the ball back towards Jota.
The Portuguese forward may not have scored on that occasion but he has been speaking to Premier League Productions (via liverpoolfc.com) about how he can benefit from Diaz’ arrival.
Rodgers previews Liverpool clash
Brendan Rodgers says he is 'sure' Liverpool will look to right the wrongs of their 1-0 defeat to Leicester when the sides meet tomorrow evening.
The Foxes got the better of Jurgen Klopp's side at the end of December, with Ademola Lookman's strike the difference between the teams at the King Power Stadium.
But Rodgers is expecting a strong reaction from the Reds tomorrow evening and has no doubt in his mind it will be a tough match against his former employers.
“We are playing against a top team with top players. You must defend for your life - run, work and show quality when the opportunities come," he said at his pre-match press conference.
"I’m sure they will be frustrated with the last result. We need to take that mentality and hopefully we can play at a high level."
Klopp confirms two players unavailable for Leicester as Diaz fitness update given
Sadio Mane will not feature for Liverpool against Leicester City on Thursday night following Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations win, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.
The forward scored the winner in the penalty shoot out against Egypt and has been in his homeland for to celebrate the win with the Reds' blessing.
Yet to return to England as a result, Klopp confirmed he is expecting the 29-year-old to fly back on Wednesday night but Thursday's game will come too soon for him as a result.
"Sadio is not back yet. A clear agreement with him," the German told reporters. "We said it’s such a big thing, everybody could see that celebration in Senegal.
To read the full story, click here.
Jurgen Klopp LIVE
We will be shortly be hearing from Jurgen Klopp...
For the latest on what the Liverpool boss has to say, click here.
New deal for Stephenson
18-year-old midfielder Luca Stephenson has prolonged his stay with Liverpool after signing a ocntract extension.
Stephenson agreed his first professional deal with the Reds in September 2020 and captained Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's under-18s side for the first half of this season, though has been ruled out in recent weeks through injury.
Posh chairman suggests EFL approach for Reds
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has suggested Liverpool should continue to look closer to home regarding transfer moves in the future.
The Reds missed out on signing Fulham midfielder Fabio Carvalho on deadline day, having ran out of time to complete the relevant paperwork.
Although of the view that Luis Diaz represented good business for Jurgen Klopp's side, MacAnthony believes there are futher opportunites worth explorinf in addition to Carvalho.
“People always say English players are too expensive. Well, with all due respect I would say that the Championship is as good as the Portuguese league,” he said on The Hard Truth podcast.
“That player [Diaz] has scored, I don’t know, 15 goals and 10 assists. Well I could show you a couple of players, the boy at Bournemouth (Nottingham Forest), Brennan Johnson, will probably be just as good as that player down the line in the future,” he claimed.
“He won’t get sold for €52 million, it’ll be more like £20 million quid. No one bought him, Nottingham Forest wanted to sell.”
Luis Diaz father explains why his son chose Liverpool over Tottenham Hotspur
Luis Diaz's first impressions of Liverpool have been revealed following his January move to the club.
The 25-year-old made his debut for the Reds as a second half substitute against Cardiff City on Sunday, providing an assist during his cameo appearance in a 3-1 FA Cup victory.
Jurgen Klopp's side fought off competition from other European sides to secure the services of Diaz, who will be hoping to challenge for a place in the starting-eleven in the coming weeks.
Prior to securing his Anfield switch, the Colombia international had twice faced off against the Reds in the group stages of this season's Champions League.
Now a member of the side, Diaz's father - Luis Manuel Diaz- has made clear that his son possesses an understanding of what it means to represent this Liverpool team.
To read the full story, click here.
Gerrard admits Villa made Bissouma bid
Steven Gerrard has revealed Aston Villa had a January transfer bid for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma rejected.
The Malian midfielder is a name who has continued to be linked with Liverpool within the last year, among with a number of other sides.
Villa were the latest team to be showing interest in the 25-year-old, and saw an offer for the Seagull's star knocked back.
“It was well documented that we put in a bid for Bissouma at Brighton which was turned away, and we respected and appreciated it," said Gerrard.
“If a move is not right then we will not become desperate and make a decisions that we do not think is right. If it’s not right at the time we might have to be patient in a few situations."
Johnson: Liverpool will be kicking themselves over failed Carvalho deal
Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson believes Jurgen Klopp's side will be 'kicking themselves' over their failed move for Fulham midfielder Fabio Carvalho.
The Reds attempted to sign the teenager on transfer deadline day, only for the move to fall through at the last minute due to paperwork issues.
Liverpool will now battle it out with a number of other clubs for the services of the 19-year-old, who is out of contract this summer.
Discussing the problem now facing the Reds, Johnson told Bettingodds.com: “He looks like a fantastic young player. I think Liverpool will be kicking themselves that they didn’t get the deal done in January. Considering that he’s out of contract in the summer, if his form continues like the way it has been then there will be more competition for him come the summer.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world and we want to see the best young players there. He’s a super young player and looked unfazed playing against Manchester City in the FA Cup, so yes, I’d love to see him in the Premier League.”
Dybala contract talks planned
Juventus are set to hold further talks over Paulo Dybala's contract renewal later this month.
The Argentine forward will leave the club for free at the end of the season unless a compromise can be found between both parties.
According to Calciomercato.com, Juventus will meet with Dybala’s entourage later this month, with a new plan in mind.
Dybala reportedly agreed a new contract with Juventus back in October worth €8m net per season plus €2m in add-ons, but this was never officially signed. The Serie A giants are said to be willing to offer a similar proposal, although the club want Dybala’s entourage to surrender around €4-5m in commissions.
Morning, Reds!
Good morning and welcome to Wednesday's Liverpool blog.
Join us throughout the day as we bring you all the latest news and transfer updates from in and around Anfield!
