Liverpool are very much in the running to sign Carlos Bacca, but they have been told they must meet his release clause to do so.
It has so far been a fairly impressive summer for Brendan Rodgers, who has already signed James Milner and Adam Bogdan on free transfers, whilst Danny Ings will also join for a yet to be agreed fee from Burnley. And earlier this week the Reds completed a deal for Hoffenheim forward Roberto Firmino, which will begin at £21.3million but could total as much as £28million.
It also appears as though the Merseyside club will beat interest from Manchester United to take Nathaniel Clyne, the Southampton fullback, who is expected to undergo a medical next week after the two clubs agreed an initial fee of £12.5million for his signature. Next up for Rodgers will be a striker, having missed the firepower to establish their place in the top four last term.
The departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona 12 months ago was a huge blow for Liverpool, who also had to cope without the injury-plagued Daniel Sturridge for much of last season. And with Mario Balotelli failing to grasp his second opportunity in English football following his £16million move from Milan, Rodgers will be determined to get it right ahead of the 2015/16 edition.
With Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke deemed too expensive at £32.5million, the 18-times champions have turned their attention to Bacca. The Colombian international scored 20 league goals for Sevilla last season, but Sevilla will not consider letting the 28-year-old leave for less than his £21.5million valuation, a stance which has been confirmed by his agent Sergio Barila.
“We have had lots of interest but so far there has been no official approach,” he told the Guardian. “I spoke with Carlos on Wednesday night and we agreed we need a real solution. Liverpool and another English club are among those that have shown an interest but there are also clubs in Italy. What is clear is that they must meet the release clause but at this stage nobody has.”
Manchester United have also been widely linked with a move for Bacca, whilst Milan and Roma are also interested in his signature. As well as the 20 La Liga goals he added to his tally last season, the striker also scored seven times in the UEFA Europa League – a competition Liverpool will compete in next term – including a brace against Dnipro in the final as Sevilla retained the trophy.
