Raul Meireles *Now Signed*

[Hutch]

From the Telegraph:

Chelsea show renewed interest in Liverpool's up-for-sale Raul Meireles

Chelsea were planning to make an improved offer for Raul Meireles on Monday night after Liverpool rejected their opening bid of £8 million plus Yossi Benayoun.

Meireles can leave Liverpool, and has been available for sale at £11 million, but it is understood that Liverpool would rather he went overseas than join another Premier League club, particularly Chelsea.

Indeed it is thought that Chelsea’s renewed interest in Meireles — who is greatly admired by manager André Villas-Boas — has already led to an increase in the fee being demanded by Liverpool. However, Chelsea are desperate to conclude the deal and will make a new cash bid.

Sources have indicated Liverpool do not want to re-sign Benayoun, who would like to return to the club he left last summer for £5 million. The Israeli is almost certain to leave Chelsea and it remains more likely he will join French champions Lille. There has been tentative contact from Arsenal — who have also inquired about Benayoun’s Chelsea team-mate Alex — but no bid has been made.

Chelsea’s interest in Meireles does not, yet, mean that they have given up all hope of signing Luka Modric from Tottenham Hotspur and they are weighing up making an improved offer of £40 million. However, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has told Chelsea, once again, that Modric is not for sale ay any price.

Chelsea and their negotiators have tried to persuade club owner Roman Abramovich to give up on pursuing Modric but the Russian billionaire is still hoping he can conclude a deal given the fact the 25-year-old midfielder remains adamant he wants to leave.

Modric played for Spurs in Sunday’s 5-1 home defeat but manager Harry Redknapp later revealed that the Croatian had come to him before the game and asked not to be included.

There is understood to be a degree of friction at Spurs over Levy’s unwillingness to negotiate. Redknapp has already suggested that it might be in the club’s best interests if Modric is sold — a view that has been backed by some players.

However, Redknapp has made it clear he does not believe Spurs should sell on transfer deadline day and matters have become further complicated because Modric is now on international duty with Croatia set to play two vital Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Modric is believed to be distraught that his hoped-for move to Chelsea does not appear set to come to fruition and Spurs will have the difficult task of rehabilitating the player back into their squad.

He may be offered a new, improved contract at Spurs but that might also cause difficulties with some other players at the club who could ask for better terms for their deals.

Meireles is unsure of his future at Liverpool and whether he fits into the plans of manager Kenny Dalglish, who has bought several midfielders this summer. There has been interest in him from Serie A Liverpool would rather he did not stay in England.

Villas-Boas only worked briefly with Meireles at Porto but there is a mutual admiration and the Chelsea manager would welcome him at his club especially if he failed to land Modric. It is believed that Villas-Boas has decided against bidding for another midfielder, Porto’s Joao Moutinho who he had considered as an alternative to Modric.

Moutinho has a €40 million (£35.3 million) buy-out clause in his contract, which Chelsea will not match, and given the anger from Porto over Villas-Boas’s attempts to sign Alvaro Pereira from his former club it seems unlikely that the two sides would reach a compromise.

Chelsea have not given up hope of signing Pereira but will not meet the €30 million ((£26.5 million) buy-out clause in his contract. The Uruguayan international is believed to be furious with Porto as his understanding is the club, despite the release clause, would accept a lower offer of €20 million ( (£17.6 million) which Chelsea are prepared to pay. He is still trying to force through the move before the deadline closes.

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[Mike 93]

Hutch! your right I dont like it....

[Eggy McMuffin]

I'd say that Meireles is a box-to-box player rather than a creative one. Which doesn't really seem to fit what was believed to be the plan when it comes to reshaping the chelsea side. I could be wrong here, but I was under the impression that we were moving towards a 4-2-3-1 formation with Ramires and Modric deeper and Mata, Lampard and Studge further forward, with Modric and Lampard swapping positions and Ramires full of running both ways. It seemed a sound plan, but I don't see how Meireles would really be right in that... having said that, he performed well when he played off Torres for Liverpool last year and scored a decent number. I'm sure AVB would have his reasons, much like Pereira; another signing I still can't quite compute.

[Spiller86]

Don't have an issue with Meireles coming in. He was excellent for Liverpool last season, why they're selling him is beyond me.

[TheWestwayWonder]

Agreed, I dont exactly hate this idea. But giving them 11m GBP for a player they seem desperate to get shot of makes me think we can do better on the price.

This could be a decent back up plan for Modric. Like Eggy, I see him in the box-to-box role, and he was great for Liverpool last year. 11m now, leave Spurs to rot and spin their wheels, and we can probably get him for 25 next year.

Edited August 29, 2011 by TheWestwayWonder

[Myles_91]

Meireles is a class player and wasted at Liverpool IMO.

Then again who needs him when you have Jordan Henderson.....

[PloKoon13]

I thought he was one of the best signings made last season; seems a little odd [if indeed true] that they want to get shot of him. I wouldn't have any problems with seeing him in Chelsea blue, although the thought of negotiating with the scum again doesn't fill me with joy...

[TrojanMan]

Guardian reporting that Liverpool rejected a bid for Meireles of £7m + Benayoun.

[Scooby Blue]

Liverpool fans are talking up a cash plus Sturridge swap on twitter. They really don't have a clue about the concept of a player reported being up for sale in comparison to a young up and coming star that is believed to not be for sale.

[TrojanMan]

Liverpool fans are talking up a cash plus Sturridge swap on twitter. They really don't have a clue about the concept of a player reported being up for sale in comparison to a young up and coming star that is believed to not be for sale.

Liverpoop and Spuds fans are as delusional as they get. I've seen posts from both sets along the lines of:

"Only way we let Meireles go is if Chelsea offer Sturridge + cash."

"Chelsea need Modric bad. I say we do it for £30m plus Sturridge and McElahran" (and yes, that Spuds fan really did butcher McEachran's name like that.

[Spiller86]

They really are out of their minds aren't they? We wouldn't sell them Sturridge for Stevie Me let alone Meireles.

[Scooby Blue]

It's even more amazing that some of them seem to think that paying £35m for Carroll was a case of them building for the future, but then they rate Sturridge as being worth a fraction of that amount.

[amART]

Isn't he injured?

[HazardsLeftPeg]

Meireles has excellent movement off the ball and that will help our midfield loads. Also from what I saw last season, he has reasonable quality on the ball and a very good shot. What I find strange is that AVB wants him here, after getting rid of him pretty cheaply when he was at Porto.

[ace]

Meireles has excellent movement off the ball and that will help our midfield loads. Also from what I saw last season, he has reasonable quality on the ball and a very good shot. What I find strange is that AVB wants him here, after getting rid of him pretty cheaply when he was at Porto.

Agreed, that's why I am having trouble buying into the story that we're actually interested in him. I'm not totally opposed to getting him, he's just not at the top of my list.

[icecoolguy22]

If we did bid like that, I have to say it's very disappointing. Firstly we bid big money for not that great of a player, a player they probably don't need, and we give him a few more millions to spend. Secondly we hand back Yossi like a piece of (fill out the blank here) after he left Liverpool to win trophies with us. As post above, AVB should know the guy pretty well, why him?

[Alex]

I'd be annoyed if we got him, not because he is a bad player, but because he is not what we need. It is clear to everyone that we need a modric/moutinho type player rather than Meireles. We already have players like Meireles at the club. Although he is a decent player, would be a waste of time imo.

[barak81]

Hoepfully this is just 48 hour crazy rummor talk by the papers.

you know, if you throw 100 darts your bound to hit the bulsy at least once

[youlots]

Not a perfect fit for us but a useful player nonetheless.

[Celery1989]

Good player, somewhat unnecessary. Ramires is basically the same player for all intents and purposes, although Meireles' eye for goal is up there with the best of them.

[aber]

wouldnt want to sign him. Would fill a gap in the midfeild, but wouldnt give us that class we are looking for in a player like Modric.

[chelseabootboy]

Don't want the scruffy gypo!!

[The Moos]

I thought he did very well at Liverpool so I would not hate us getting him. However, he's no Modric, so this should not be the plan B if we fail to get him.

Meireles seem to me to be like Ramires or possibly Essien. Two way player and will work really hard all the time.

Liverpool would be fools to let him go.

[Eggy McMuffin]

It might be an interesting idea that we could get him and Pereira. A 4-2-3-1 formation with our normal back four, and a hardworking duo of Ramires and Meireles to allow Mata, Studge and Pereira the freedom to float and swap positions to create for Torres up front. Just a thought, but it could be an interesting idea that might be being suggested.

[The Moos]

It might be an interesting idea that we could get him and Pereira. A 4-2-3-1 formation with our normal back four, and a hardworking duo of Ramires and Meireles to allow Mata, Studge and Pereira the freedom to float and swap positions to create for Torres up front. Just a thought, but it could be an interesting idea that might be being suggested.

Studge as a winger doesn't really appeal to me. It might work if we play 4-3-3, but I doubt he'd do well in a 4-2-3-1.

I'd prefer him to play up front in a 4-4-2, but I doubt that will happen, even if AVB seem to be willing to try that formation out sometimes.