Liverpool Transfer Round Up: Origi Arrival, Suarez Departure Imminent

With the World Cup winding down, the transfer market is beginning to heat up, and Liverpool are involved in a fair amount of business at the moment.

First, a deal  for 19 year old Belgian striker Divock Origi will be completed very soon. Liverpool and Lille have agreed to a £10 million pound deal that will be completed as soon as Origi and Liverpool agree to personal terms. Origi made his debut for Lille as a substitute when he was just 17, and scored a header shortly after entering the game. He's made 40 total league appearances for Lille and scored 6 goals. He garnered a lot of praise for his performance with Belgium in this World Cup. He came on as a substitute in Belgium's first 3 group games, scoring the game winner in the 88th minute over Russia. He then started both of Belgium's games in the knockout round, and looked very impressive against the United States despite not scoring.

Origi has an excellent combination of strength and pace. He is strong enough to bully smaller defenders, and has enough speed to outrun bigger defenders. At 6 foot 1, he's also good at heading the ball. Although his physical traits make him better suited for a central role, Lille has often deployed him as a winger in their 4-3-3 formation, which also means he's somewhat versatile. He's still very raw, and probably not ready for the Premier League yet, so Liverpool are planning to allow him to stay at Lille on loan for this season. It may be a while before Origi is ready to contribute to Liverpool, but there's no denying he has a lot of potential.

Another deal that seems close to completion is the deal for Benefica winger Lazar Markovic.  20 year old Serbian is expected to come at a £25 million price tag. This one came as a bit of surprise to most people, as it seemingly came out of nowhere. Before last season, Markovic transferred from FK Partizan in the Serbian SuperLiga to Benefica, where he scored 5 goals in 26 league appearances and won the Portuguese league title. This supposed signing makes me worry that deals for Alexis Sanchez and/or Xherdan Shaqiri aren't going to happen (more on that later). While Markovic seems like a good player, I doubt he is close to being on the same level as Sanchez and Shaqiri.

The Dejan Lovren situation is becoming very odd. Liverpool have apparently had a £20 million bid for him rejected by Southampton. The Croatian center back has been open about his desire to join Liverpool, and in a recent interview he didn't exactly hide his frustration with his current club, claiming they didn't even tell him about the bid they rejected from Liverpool, even going as far as to say, "Frankly, my head is already at Liverpool." If a deal that sends him to Liverpool doesn't materialize soon, this situation is sure to get uglier.

Suarez's sale to Barcelona is apparently very close. If reports are true, Liverpool and Barca just need to agree on a fee to complete the deal. The figures being thrown around put the sale at anywhere from £70-80 million. The interesting thing about this situation is what happens with Alexis Sanchez. Not long ago it seemed as though Sanchez would almost certainly be on his way to Liverpool, and it seemed even more likely when Barcelona began showing interest in Suarez. However, Sanchez apparently favors a move to Arsenal, and the Sanchez plus cash deal for Suarez is no longer being considered. While Sanchez could still end up at Liverpool, it seems less likely than it did a few days ago.

Another deal that seemed imminent, but is now in doubt is the deal for Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri. Last week a rumor was going around that Shaqiri's agent was in Liverpool trying to negotiate personal terms for Shaqiri, but the flow of news about a potential move to Liverpool has come to a grinding halt over the last few days. This is the deal I was personally hoping for the most, and I really hope Liverpool can find a way to make it happen.

Pepe Reina's future is unknown at this time. While it's always been assumed he'd be sold this summer, Napoli have refused to buy Reina for what Liverpool value him at, and at this time there doesn't seem to be much interest from other clubs. While I highly doubt Reina stays with Liverpool, it will be interesting to see how this situation is handled.

Finally, the most unlikely, yet most exciting rumor concerning Liverpool right now involves American right back DeAndre Yedlin. Yedlin was very impressive in his appearances at the World Cup, especially against Belgium where he was the best player on the field for the red, white, and blue. Teams outside the US are certainly taking notice of Yedlin, but the Seattle Sounders and the MLS are going to do everything they can to hold on to one of their brightest young players. The rumors that Liverpool want to bring in Yedlin for a trial are almost certainly false, but it's still a lot of fun to imagine an American kid having a shot to play for my favorite club.

That's all for this transfer round-up. It sure seems like this transfer window is shaping up to be an interesting one from a Liverpool standpoint.