With Liverpool short on firepower at present, it is hardly surprising to see them linked with a striker once the transfer window reopens. Luis Suarez remains manager Brendan Rodgers’ primary front-man and should anything happen to the Uruguayan between now and January, it is fair to say the Reds would be up a particular creek without a paddle.
With Andy Carroll on loan at West Ham United and Fabio Borini sidelined with a foot injury, Liverpool have been linked with a host of strikers, ranging from Burak Yilmaz to Klaas Jan Huntelaar, of Galatasaray and FC Schalke 04 respectively.
However, reports now suggest the Merseysiders have swapped their target to that of Anzhi Makhachkala front-man Lacina Traore. The 22-year-old only moved to the big spending Russian outfit over the summer, but has already netted 12 goals in 20 appearances.
Nicknamed the Gentle Giant, Traore was brought to the attention of Rodgers during his side’s 1-0 defeat to Anzhi, in which the Guinea born front-man netted a perfectly weighted chip over goalkeeper Brad Jones.
It would be no surprise to see the Liverpool manager take an interest in Traore, after all at 6ft 8in he does, like Peter Crouch, stand out more than other players should. Furthermore, his physical attributes would give Rodgers a plan B in attack, should a system he employed be failing to reap the rewards.
As mentioned, the only problem in any possible deal could be the fact that the young striker only joined Anzhi over the summer. The €18m they are reported to have paid would only have increased further as a result of his goalscoring exploits.