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Rodgers plans swift summer swoop by Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers has his targets lined up © Getty Images

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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has stressed the need for the club to secure their summer transfer targets "as quick as we possibly can".

Rodgers' debut season in charge at Anfield has had signs of promise, although the former Swansea manager has stressed during the campaign that his project on Merseyside is a long-term one.

The club are currently seventh in the table, nine points off the Champions League places, and Rodgers is keen to act swiftly in the transfer market as he looks to build on this term ahead of mounting a stronger pursuit of a return to Europe's premier competition.

"I think it's very important to get players in as quick as we possibly can," he said in the Guardian. "I think we will be in a much stronger place [than last summer] because we have much of the structure of the team already done so it's about sprinkling more quality into it and a bit more depth and I'm confident we can do that.

"Everyone is working very hard and everyone is in unison with what we are trying to do. I believe if we get some good work done early it helps start well at the start of next season."

He added: "The recruitment team has regular meetings now to establish where we are in terms of the targets. There is a process we go through and there is still some work to do and I am confident we have a pattern of work, the players are there and it's about the availability and the players we can afford."

Meanwhile, Reds defender Jamie Carragher, who is to retire from football at the end of the season, has echoed his manager's sentiments regarding recruitment.

He told Sky Sports News: "We've got lots of top players and we want to keep hold of them all. Also, where we are in the league, it is important we improve the squad and get some additions because where we are is not where we want to be."

Carragher also said he expects star striker Luis Suarez to remain at the club, despite conjecture that he could be targeted by a number of top European sides in the summer.

He said: "He is one of the top players, not just in the Premier League, but in world football. We are desperate to keep him and I am sure he will stay. He loves it here and the fans love him. It would be a big surprise to me if he's not PFA Player of the Year."

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