Ten January targets for Liverpool

Rumours are rife and January is right around the corner. Time, then, to take a look at some of the players linked with Liverpool Football Club this winter.

Tom Ince – Left the club only last year for £225,000 but has since shone at Blackpool and established himself in the England Under 21 set up. His 13 goals in the Championship already this season shows he has an eye for goal and he fits the model of young, talented home grown players that FSG are interested in. A fee of around £6m (minus the 35% sell on clause that Liverpool implemented in his transfer to the tangerines) has been muted in the press and he seems a likely signing. Looks to have improved significantly since he left the club and has added an end product that was lacking during his time on Merseyside. Whether or not he could replicate his Championship form in the Premier League remains a question and one that seems increasingly likely to be answered in the new year.

Daniel Sturridge – Like Ince, reports suggest that Liverpool have all but agreed a £12m fee with Chelsea for the England forward. His ability to play wide or centrally in a front three seems tailor made for Brendan Rodgers' system and his goal output has been relatively impressive at Chelsea (24 in 93) despite his limited opportunities. Doubts regarding his attitude are well known but Liverpool and Rodgers seem willing to take the risk on a player with undoubted potential.

Sturridge seems to be heading to Anfield 

Theo Walcott – The boyhood Liverpool fan seems to want out of Arsenal but competition for his signature will be fierce. Liverpool could probably offer him more game time than other rumoured potential suitors Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City. Whether the club would be able or indeed, willing to offer Arsenal and the player financial packages that would be accepted could be a question mark but purely in footballing terms, interest in the winger is understandable. Walcott offers the pace, penetration and goals that Liverpool's front line currently lacks.

Alexis Sanchez – One tenuous link from the Daily Mirror is all it takes for people to start dreaming. The Chilean winger has struggled for fitness and regular game time at Barcelona this season and unsurprisingly it seems that the Reds are monitoring his situation with view to a possible loan deal. Whether the Catalan giants would be willing to allow the £28m forward to leave remains to be seen and even if they did decide to move him on, a great many Champions League clubs would be interested. Alexis playing on Merseyside seems more than a tad unlikely, but we can all dream once in a while, right?

Cristian Tello – Brendan Rodgers tried to sign the young winger on loan at the beginning of the season but Tello elected to stay with Barcelona. He, like Sanchez, has found time on the pitch difficult to come by this season and he could be looking to get some regular games elsewhere. A loan deal would appear more likely than a permanent transfer given that he is held in high regard at Barca, but Tello's blistering pace and penchant for leaving defenders trailing in his wake makes him obvious target. Like Sanchez though, the chances seem remote that Barca would be willing to lose the player mid season with their Champions League campaign still ahead of them. Perhaps one to revisit in the summer.

Liverpool tried to sign Tello in the summer 

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – The Schalke star is out on contract at the end of the season and is the ultimate 'fox in the box'. His cool head in front of goal has been evident again after difficult spells at Milan and Real Madrid and he has scored 42 times in 70 appearances for the German side. He has bags international experience and is more clinical than any striker Liverpool currently posses. The fact that he can only really play centrally may put Rodgers off though, given his apparent lack of desire to move Luis Suarez from that position. The 'Hunter' did strike up a great partnership with Suarez at Ajax though, and the potential reuniting of that partnership is an exciting proposition.

Demba Ba – A proven Premier League striker who has 10 league goals already this season and is available for £7.5m. Sound too good be true? Perhaps it is. Ba's knees are apparently in a bad way and liable to give way at any moment (reports suggest that has been the case for a while now) but his fitness record at Newcastle has been good and his goalscoring exploits cannot be ignored. His get out clause is cheap and he has been a stand out performer for the Geordies in a difficult season thus far. Liverpool have been linked with the player numerous times and he seems to be an attainable target should the club wish to pursue him.

Ba's low release clause is tempting 

Jack Butland – Aged just 19 and already England's back up to Joe Hart, the imposing Birmingham stopper could be seen as a potential long term replacement for Pepe Reina. He could also be seen as an immediate replacement for the Spaniard who has suffered a chronic lack of form over the past couple of seasons. Hugely talented, confident and a great prospect, Butland will soon be in demand and won't be playing his trade in the Championship for much longer. Whether Brendan Rodgers and his scouts are sufficiently impressed to steal a march on their rivals and attempt to snap up the highly rated keeper in January is another question. Assuming Reina can recapture his form, then chances for Butland would probably be hard to come by despite his extraordinary potential.

Mohamed Diame – Liverpool missed out on Diame in the summer when Kenny Dalglish was lining up a free transfer for the French born midfielder, but his performance against the Reds at Upton Park recently may well have reignited interest. Diame dominated the midfield as he did against Chelsea for the Hammers and offers the kind of physicality that Liverpool's squad lacks in central midfield right now. A reported £3.5m buy out clause in his contract also makes him more than affordable but his recent form means that interest will be there from other Premier League teams.

Keisuke Honda – The CSKA Moscow play maker is entering his final year of his contract and has long been linked with a move to the Premier League. The Japanese number 10 offers guile, technical ability and experience and aged 26 probably has his best years still ahead of him. Honda has the ability to play wide or as a deep midfielder but given his natural play making position is something that Liverpool sorely lack right now, the midfielder could be a curve ball signing this January. Apparently he also a has a good engine on him (sorry).