Liverpool make bid for Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Alex Teixeira

Liverpool have made an offer of €32m for the Shakhtar Donetsk forward Alex Teixeira with the chief executive, Ian Ayre, flying to Florida to try to clinch a deal with the Ukrainian club.

Shakhtar, who are in Orlando preparing for the Florida Cup, want more than €39m for the 26-year-old but Liverpool are confident that they can agree a deal to add firepower to a forward line that has been ravaged by injuries this season.

Teixeira, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea, has scored 67 goals in 146 league games for the Ukrainian team in five years at the club. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have scored only 25 goals in 22 league games this season and currently have Danny Ings, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi, as well as Philippe Coutinho, injured.

Christian Benteke is Liverpool's highest scorer in the league this season with six. Coutinho has got five, Origi one, Sturridge two and Ings two.

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