Liverpool have added significant momentum to their summer transfer activity by agreeing a fee in the region of £7 million with Blackpool for Charlie Adam and reviving a deal to sign Alexander Doni, the Roma goalkeeper.
After enduring several weeks of frustration since the £16 million acquisition of Jordan Henderson from Sunderland, Liverpool have made a renewed statement of their intent over the past 48 hours; first, by stepping up their interest in Stewart Downing with a £15 million bid that was rejected by Aston Villa and then by putting a deal in place with Blackpool that will bring the Adam saga to an end, provided the midfield player passes his medical.
However, Alex McLeish, the new Villa manager, is ready to play hard-ball with Liverpool over Downing. McLeish will inform the left-sided midfield player that he is not available for transfer and that he remains a key part of Villa’s plans for next season.
Adam travelled to Merseyside yesterday and was driven into Melwood, Liverpool’s training complex, by Kenny Dalglish, who first set his sights on the 25-year-old in January after taking over as manager from Roy Hodgson. The pursuit was initially unsuccessful as Blackpool rejected all offers out of hand, with Ian Holloway, the manager, describing one bid as “ridiculous” and another as “disgraceful”.
But the combination of Blackpool’s relegation from the Barclays Premier League and Adam’s contractual position — he had just entered the final year of his deal and would be able to leave Bloomfield Road on a free transfer at the end of next season — strengthened Liverpool’s bargaining position markedly and the bid that was accepted yesterday was not dissimilar to the offer that was rejected out of hand in January.
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Adam made it clear to Karl Oyston, the Blackpool owner, that Liverpool was his preferred destination, despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Villa, and the agreement of personal terms is expected to be a formality. The Scotland player underwent a medical examination last night and is expected to complete the transfer today.
Liverpool will now attempt to tie up a deal to take Downing to Anfield and will make an improved offer to Villa for the 26-year-old despite McLeish’s tough stance.
The free transfer of Doni from Roma is likely to be completed before any move by Downing, with reports in Italy indicating that the Brazil goalkeeper will undergo a medical before the weekend. The deal appeared to have collapsed last week because of financial wrangling between Doni and Roma, but the resolution of that issue has afforded the 31-year-old an opportunity to complete the switch to Anfield, where he would serve as understudy to Pepe Reina.
Doni’s agent, Ovidio Colucci, expects his client to take up the offer of a two-year contract. “In the next 36 hours we will know something definite,” Colucci said. “Liverpool are interested in Doni and there is agreement between the two clubs and with the player. Doni is in Italy right now.
“We just have to ratify certain details with Roma. If the deal is completed, Doni will join Liverpool on a free transfer and will sign a two-year contract. Doni is very happy with the chance to play in the Premier League.”
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In a further positive development for the Merseyside club, Glen Johnson has signed a two-year extension to his contract, a move that would have been inconceivable before Hodgson’s departure because of the breakdown in relations between the full back and his manager at the time.
Johnson was revitalised under Dalglish’s guidance in the latter half of last season and the contract is a reward for his improved form and the expectation that the 26-year-old has his best years ahead of him. “Towards the end of last season he showed how versatile he is by playing at left back or right back,” Damien Comolli, the Liverpool director of football, said.
“Very often defenders peak between 26 and 31, so he is just entering into those years where a maturity comes in and his knowledge of the game gets better and better. We are pleased he wants to commit long-term and I think he was pleased we asked him to do so.”