Tony Barrett
Liverpool are preparing to signal their intention in the transfer market with a £13 million approach for Jordan Henderson, the highly rated Sunderland and England midfield player.
Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, is determined to overhaul his squad and has identified Henderson as the first piece of the jigsaw as he looks to assemble a team capable of challenging for the title or, at the least, of securing Champions League football.
Henderson, 20, has attracted interest from a host of Barclays Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester City, but Liverpool have emerged as favourites to sign him.
Sunderland are thought to value Henderson at closer to £20 million and will not let the player leave without a fight, even though Steve Bruce, their manager, concedes that the Wearside club will struggle to keep hold of him.
An box-to-box midfield player, Henderson’s impressive form earned him a first call-up to the England team for the friendly against France last November, when he started in central midfield alongside Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain.
He has not played under Fabio Capello since, though, and is with the England Under-21 squad as they prepare for the European Under-21 Championship finals in Denmark.
Sunderland sold Darren Bent, the England forward, to Aston Villa for £18 million rising to a possible £24 million and will hold out for a similar fee for Henderson. “The great thing with Jordan is his father and the lad are level-headed enough to realise that the worst thing that could happen to him would be if he goes and disappears as he might end up not playing for 18 months and is sitting on the bench,” Bruce said.
Speculation emerged yesterday suggesting that Liverpool had made an offer, but sources at Sunderland indicated that this was not the case.
Damien Comolli, the director of football at Anfield has watched Henderson on several occasions and has been impressed. Under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool are endeavouring to put together a young, energetic squad and Henderson’s athleticism and age means he fits the bill. Having signed Andy Carroll from Newcastle United for a club-record fee of £35 million in January, Dalglish is attempting to put a supply line in place that will bring out the best in the 6ft 3in forward.
