• Transfer news

Liverpool pushing to sign Moreno

Liverpool had a £16m offer for Moreno rejected © Getty Images

Enlarge

Liverpool are pushing ahead with their pursuit of Alberto Moreno following Iago Aspas' loan move to Sevilla.

The 22-year-old remains Brendan Rodgers' first-choice left-back target even though his club have so far been unable to agree a fee with last season's Europa League winners, sources have told ESPN.

Liverpool had a £16 million offer for Moreno rejected at the end of May by Sevilla, who are understood to want more than £20m.

They had considered offering Aspas in part-exchange in an attempt to reduce the fee. But with the striker completing a season-long loan move to Sevilla - with a view to a permanent deal - on Monday night, any deal for Moreno will be negotiated separately.

Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre will not overpay for the defender, but is exploring the possibility of a compromise, having met Sevilla officials earlier this week, primarily to sort out the Aspas deal.

Rodgers wants more options at left-back, a position that was a problem for him last season because of Jose Enrique's long-term knee injury. Enrique played through the early weeks of last season with the problem, but managed only 29 minutes of first-team football after Oct. 5 and nothing at all after Nov. 9.

Aly Cissokho, on an unsuccessful season's loan from Valencia, failed to make the position his own and right-back Jon Flanagan moved across to become Enrique's regular stand-in over the second half of the campaign.

Former Newcastle defender Enrique is fit to start pre-season - with Liverpool's opening friendly against Brondby in Denmark on Wednesday - and is aiming to prove to Rodgers that his injury problems are behind him.

But Rodgers remains keen on Moreno, who got down to the final 27 for Spain's World Cup squad only to miss the final cut. Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand is being considered as an alternative should a deal for Moreno fail to materialise.

Lazar Markovic is about to sign for Liverpool but there has been no further progress in their attempts to sign Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren.

The Croatia international, 25, is seen by Rodgers as the man to tighten up a defence that conceded 50 Premier League goals last season. Southampton have rejected a £20m bid from Liverpool.

Lovren has made clear he wants to leave but joined his club's pre-season training camp in Belgium on Sunday, undermining reports that he would go on strike to force through a move.

This article first appeared on ESPNFC.com

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd