BRENDAN RODGERS has said Liverpool cannot afford big-money deals before tomorrow’s transfer deadline unless Andy Carroll and other superfluous high earners accept their Anfield careers are over.
The Liverpool manager wishes to sign Theo Walcott, despite Arsene Wenger’s desire to hold on to the player, and has deals lined up for the remainder of this transfer window.
Any permanent captures over the next 48 hours, however, rest on raising funds and reducing the wage bill from the existing squad, meaning one or more of Carroll, Charlie Adam, Joe Cole and Jay Spearing will have to go for Walcott or Fulham’s Clint Dempsey to move to Merseyside.
Liverpool have also been linked with Daniel Sturridge but Rodgers, who is not planning a move for the Chelsea striker, admits the club are not in a position to make further signings outright after spending his budget on Fabio Borini, Joe Allen and Oussama Assaidi.
“The club, in financial terms, is in need of repair so those players linked and for those sums linked, I don’t have the ability to do that unfortunately.
“Certainly not in this transfer window anyway.
“The transition of the squad is probably going to take through to next summer. This is an incredible club and some players who come here, even if you want to move them on, are not going to just walk out because of wages and other factors.”
Liverpool entertain Hearts in the second leg of the Europa League play-off tonight with Rodgers promising to field a stronger side than in the 1-0 win at Tynecastle last week.
The Liverpool manager will be without Lucas Leiva for “two to three months” after receiving confirmation the influential midfielder tore a thigh muscle against Manchester City and has omitted Carroll, Adam and others as he pushes them towards the exit.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
LIVERPOOL (4-3-2-1): Reina; Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Jose Enrique; Henderson, Gerrard, Allen; Downing, Borini; Suarez.
HEARTS (4-2-3-1): MacDonald; R McGowan, Zaliukas, Webster, Grainger; Barr, Taouil; Paterson, Templeton, Driver; Sutton.
