Liverpool

Toure Set For Anfield Medical As Rodgers Eyes £19m-Rated Schalke Ace

Kolo Toure will have a medical at Liverpool when he returns from Man City’s tour of the US as Brendan Rodgers plans to re-shape his defensive options this summer

by
Transfer News Reporter
May 21, 2013

With the summer transfer window set to re-open, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Liverpool are closing in on Kolo Toure.

Kolo Toure is set to have a medical at Liverpool once he returns from Manchester City’s tour of the US as Brendan Rodgers plans to re-shape his defensive options this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Jamie Carragher retired from football on Sunday leaving a huge hole to be filled in the Reds squad and it appears Rodgers has decided he needs an experienced head to replace the long-serving centre-back and is on the verge of signing free agent Toure from City.

The 32-year-old Ivorian is out-of-contract at the Etihad next month and has not been offered an extension after falling down the pecking order this season. The Mail claim he wants to remain in the Premier League, preferably in the north West where he and his family are settled, and Liverpool have offered him the perfect opportunity to do so.

The newspaper suggests a deal has been agreed and Toure will undergo a medical when he returns from Manchester City’s end-of-season tour of the United States, where they’re due to play Chelsea in a friendly on Saturday night.

Toure may not be the only defensive addition at Anfield this summer with doubts continuing over the future’s of Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates. Should either leave, the Mail claim Rodgers is eyeing a move for Schalke’s Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who’s rated at £19m by the German outfit, while Ajax’s Toby Alderweireld and Sporting Lisbon’s Tiago Ilori are also under consideration.

While some Liverpool fans may question the signing of Toure, it could prove to be an astute move by Rodgers. I’m not convinced he’ll be coming in to be a first team regular and losing a player of Carragher’s experience in the dressing room will be a big blow, so Toure could replace the Reds legend in this respect while also being a useful squad player.

If Skrtel stays, he may find himself back alongside Daniel Agger next year at the heart of the defence but if the Slovakian moves on, I’d expect Rodgers to bring in a new first team centre-back and Papadopoulos appears to be a prime target.

What do Liverpool fans make of the proposed signing of Toure? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.