Liverpool sign Portuguese star Raul Meireles

Raul Meireles has insisted he is not a Javier Mascherano clone after completing his move to Liverpool.

Meireles has joined Roy Hodgson's side for 14 million euros (£11.5 million), the Premier League club announced on their official website.

Portugal international Meireles has signed a four-year contract and will add weight to a Reds midfield which was looking short on numbers following the departures of Mascherano and Alberto Aquilani.

And, quoted in the Sunday Express, he said: ''Roy Hodgson was key to me coming here because he worked so hard to sign me. I am Meireles and not Mascherano and that will be clear to the fans. I hope one day the Liverpool fans will remember me for being successful.''

Meireles has won four titles with Porto and been capped 38 times by Portugal, playing in all four of his country's games at this summer's World Cup.

Liverpool on Friday agreed a deal to send Mascherano to Barcelona after the midfielder, whose family could not settle on Merseyside, was reportedly unprepared to play for the club.

Aquilani also departed for Juventus in a loan deal which brought to an end, at least temporarily, an underwhelming and injury-hit spell in the city in which he failed adequately to replace Xabi Alonso.

With Liverpool financially constrained as owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks attempt to sell the club, fans have had to make do with limited arrivals this summer - Christian Poulsen from Juventus and Joe Cole on a free transfer from Chelsea being the headline names.

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Can he be a ideal Masch replacement?

Liverpool are reportedly negotiating a deal to sign Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra.

The 29-year-old is thought to be on the periphery of the Spanish side's squad under Jose Mourinho, and new Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has lined-up the Malian international as a replacement for Javier Mascherano should he leave Anfield.

Diarra began his senior football career at Greek side OFI, making his debut as a teenager in 1998. A move to Vitesse in Holland came the following season, with the defensive central midfielder spending three years at the Eredivisie club.

Lyon would sign the player in 2002, and Diarra was a revelation in Ligue 1 during his four years at the club. Four consecutive league titles emphasised the point, with manager Gerard Houllier placing a €40 million price tag in his head.

However, Real Madrid's €26 million offer was too good to turn down and Diarra left Les Gones in 2006.

After originally starring at the Bernabeu, Diarra has slowly fallen down the pecking order following a serious knee injury and the signing of Lassana Diarra.

Madrid's Sporting Director hinted last week that a host of non-Spanish stars could leave the club after yet more additions this summer, and Diarra's agent has hinted that a move to the Premier League could suit the player.

"Mahmadou is still a top player and he can do a great job in the Premier League. There is a lot of interest," said Frederic Guerra.

Spanish paper AS reports that the Reds have begun negotiations with an emissary on behalf of Real Madrid with a view to signing Diarra before the close of the transfer window.

With Argentine Mascherano reportedly refusing to take part in the defeat against Manchester City, his exit would appear imminent. The cash from any sale could then be spent on a move for Diarra, who would set the Anfield club back in the region of £7 million.

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Liverpool could complete Cole deal on Masch deparutre

Liverpool and Sunderland have indicated that they are ready to launch bids for West Ham United striker Carlton Cole.

Neither club have, as yet, made an official bid, but the Hammers are well aware of the interest mounting from the two clubs.

Hammers were asking £15 million for Cole and that the player's preference was a move to Anfield. Now Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is ready to make the long awaited swoop after failing with a succession of moves for other strikers.

Sunderland are the latest club to be linked with the centre-forward this week, while Stoke and Birmingham have been in hot pursuit without success in turning Cole's head.

Cole made it clear he would only quit Upton Park for a big club and West Ham have been anticipating a move from Liverpool.

With the expected sale of Javier Mascherano to Barcelona for more than £20 million, Hodgson has lined up a move for Cole.

Once Liverpool have sold Mascherano, who was rescued from the Hammers bench by his £18 million move to Anfield, the Reds can offer West Ham the inducement of paying a large chunk of the fee up front, which in turn can aid the Hammers' transfer business in the final days of the window.

Co-owner David Sullivan has been busy lining up a replacement for Cole and, once the England international departs, two more strikers are earmarked for Upton Park.

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Liverpool could just grab a point on opening day

Jose Reina's late howler enabled Arsenal to snatch a draw from a thrilling Premier League opener at 10-man Liverpool.

The Liverpool goalkeeper saw the ball rebound off him after Marouane Chamakh had hit the post in the final minute at Anfield to cancel out a David Ngog strike.

The goal was reward for a late spell of Arsenal pressure but it was unfortunate for Liverpool, who had survived most of the second half unscathed after the sending off of Joe Cole.

The big-name summer signing from Chelsea was dismissed on his league debut for a reckless challenge on Arsenal debutant Laurent Koscielny.

Koscielny himself also received a red card, but not until moments before the final whistle when he earned a second booking for handball.

The equaliser denied Liverpool what would have been only their fourth victory over the Gunners in their last 19 league meetings. It remains to be seen how much the new wave of optimism which has swept into the club since Roy Hodgson was appointed as manager has been punctured.

One of the reasons for the upbeat mood had been Cole's arrival but while the midfielder's first league start was one to forget, Hodgson did coax a solid showing from wantaway Javier Mascherano.

Fernando Torres was left in reserve, and later entered to a huge ovation after pledging his future to the club and recovering from a groin injury, but Arsenal missed two of their bigger stars more.

Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie were both said to be lacking match-fitness and while the former was absent altogether, the Dutchman made only a late appearance.

Thomas Vermaelen tested Jose Reina early on with a fierce free-kick but aside from that, the first half was almost devoid of action until exploding into life in the closing moments.

Dirk Kuyt created Liverpool's first opportunity when he turned in the box but Manuel Almunia easily gathered his cross. New signing Milan Jovanovic cut through the Arsenal midfield with a determined run but Kuyt's final ball again found Almunia.

Arsenal's Samir Nasri had another long-range free-kick blocked and Vermaelen put the rebound wide. Gael Clichy had Arsenal's first serious chance from open play when he broke clear down the left after 30 minutes and fired a shot narrowly over from outside the box.

Liverpool thought an opportunity was opening up soon after when Almunia failed to claim a corner but referee Martin Atkinson spotted a foul by Daniel Agger on Vermaelen.

The action on the field was tight with neither side giving much away but Arsenal were almost caught when Jovanovic raced onto a long ball. With Cole walking back from an offside position, the Arsenal defence let the ball bounce and the Serbia international darted into the box, only to blast wide.

The game suddenly came alive in the closing minute of the first half. First Glen Johnson had a shot tipped over by Almunia and Ngog then had a header cleared off the line from the resulting corner.

The complexion of the game then changed completely in injury time as Cole was sent off for his lunge at Koscielny. The defender returned to the dressing room on a stretcher at the interval but ran out to start the second period as normal.

He was greeted by boos from Liverpool fans but replays of the tackle suggested that, although the initial decision may have seemed harsh, the law had been applied correctly.

Liverpool seemed determined not to let their numerical disadvantage bother them and made a blistering start to the second half.

They claimed the lead within two minutes of the restart as Mascherano threaded a ball into the box for Ngog and the Frenchman fired home at the near post. It was his fourth goal of the season after three in Liverpool's first Europa League qualifying tie.

Not content with that, the Reds pushed forward again and Martin Skrtel headed wide from a dangerous Steven Gerrard free-kick. Ngog had an even better chance when he leapt to reach another Gerrard set-piece but could not direct his header on target.

Kuyt created another fine chance after skipping past Clichy on the right but no-one could turn in his ball across goal. Liverpool were reduced to nine men when Agger left the field for treatment after all three substitutes had been used.

Arsenal stepped up the tempo and Tomas Rosicky showed great control with a slaloming run into the area before seeing his shot brilliantly touched over by Reina.

The pressure eventually told in the last minute as Reina and Chamakh collided after Rosicky's cross. The ball spilled loose and hit the post, but in his rush to claw the ball back Reina could only help it over the line.

Gerrard almost snatched victory as the game went into five minutes of injury time but Almunia kept out his free-kick. The game ended on more controversy as Koscielny picked up a second booking for handball, though the decision seemed harsh.

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Torres just loves playing alongside Gerrard

Iniesta has lift the lid that one of the reason why Torres choose to stay because he just loves playing alongside Gerrard and even rates his anfield skipper higher than the likes of Villa and Xavi.

Fernando Torres says ­Liverpool will terrify the Premier League this season – because of his partnership up front with ­Steven Gerrard.

The Spanish superstar striker says Kop skipper Gerro is his best strike partner ever – even better than international colleague David Villa.

Torres believes the pair have an ­almost telepathic understanding.

Midfielder Andres Iniesta was shacked up with Torres as Spain won the World Cup in South Africa last month.

And the Barcelona man also thinks Torres’ love of Liverpool is the reason he pledged his future to the club.

Iniesta said: “I was speaking with Nando during the World Cup.

“Even though he is happy at Liverpool in the sense he loves the club, he is clearly not happy with the results on the pitch.

“Liverpool ran Manchester United so close for the Premier League the season before last.

“The reason it happened is because Nando and Steven Gerrard were strike partners, with Gerrard playing just behind.

“Nando will tell you himself that his best-ever strike partner is Steven Gerrard.

“In his words they had a telepathic understanding when it came to making runs and the right pass.

“I hope the new Liverpool coach has the sense to play them as a strike partnership again.

“If he does it could be a really successful season for them.”

Iniesta also played at the World Cup with former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, now at Real Madrid.

Alonso’s departure was thought by many to be part of the reason Liverpool had such a disappointing campaign last season.

But Iniesta believes new Kop signing Joe Cole could fill the Alonso role at Anfield.

The Spaniard added: “The season they nearly won the Premier League, Xabi was so important for them.

“If they play Joe Cole in the Xabi role – with Gerrard and Nando’s strike partnership – I really do think they can be one of the most successful attacking teams in the Premier League and will score goals for fun.

“I think it’s a big opening game for both Liverpool and Arsenal.

“Both sets of fans would not have been happy with last season and both teams must win something this season.”

Another player potentially heading for the Anfield exit is Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano.

And Iniesta added: “I don’t think it’s any sort of secret that he is a player we would like here at Barcelona.”

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Torres in contention for League opener

Fernando Torres could be in line for a surprise return for Liverpool this weekend after Roy Hodgson refused to rule him out of Sunday's visit of Arsenal.

The Spain striker has undergone a rigorous training regime after suffering a groin strain in last month's World Cup final in a bid to regain fitness ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign.

Hodgson has been largely impressed with Torres' input since returning to Melwood and insists that the 26-year-old still remains in contention for a place in the squad that will entertain Arsene Wenger's side at Anfield this weekend.

"Fernando has made a remarkable effort to get himself fit and ready for Premier League football and he has a chance," he said.

"He has worked extremely hard in the two and a half weeks he has been back so I certainly don't rule him out.

"His chances were being played down by the sports science people who said in an ideal world he would have a longer preparation period.

"They are rightly concerned if he plays too early he could have a recurrence of a knee problem which could keep him out for longer so it is quite simply a balancing job."

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Hodgson denies Mascherano move imminent

Roy Hodgson insists Christian Poulsen was not brought to the club as a replacement for Javier Mascherano and says he does not expect the Argentina captain to leave Liverpool in the imminent future.

Hodgson brought in defensive midfielder Poulsen, 30, from Juventus this week and many believe the transfer was made as a result of the expected departure of Mascherano to Inter or Barcelona.

However, Hodgson has dismissed those rumours and said Poulsen was simply brought in to give him another option ahead of a potentially busy season.

"It is not a question of Christian replacing Javier," he said. "I believe Javier is going to play for us. We've got a lot of games to play hopefully and we're going to need a lot of players. We didn't take him in to replace somebody - we took him in because we want him to improve the size of our squad and the quality of our squad."

Asked if Mascherano's statement that he had no problem with Liverpool as a club means there is hope he could stay, Hodgson said: "There's no point in me commenting on things Javier has said or supposedly said, because I've had seven or eight training sessions with him now and we talk about football.

"Since our very early meeting where he made it clear that if possible he would prefer to leave, he's been getting on with his work, training properly, playing properly and, as far as I'm concerned, he's a Liverpool player until the day somebody signs him, and that day does not seem to be imminent."

He added: "As far as Javier is concerned, I can quite categorically state there has been no offer from any club for him. As a result, I don't see why every day I should put his loyalty or desire to the club in doubt.

"We made it clear to him that if the offer he wanted came along we probably would not stand in his way but that offer has not come along and he is working hard to play for Liverpool.

"He is a realistic player. He is playing for Liverpool and is not looking for a move to a Spanish second division team - there are very few clubs in the world that can even consider having Javier Mascherano on their books.

"If he wants to leave he will be expecting a club of a similar stature to Liverpool to come along and at the moment they haven't so I'm presuming he is very happy to stay here."

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Liverpool confirm Poulsen signing

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen for a fee of €5.475 million.

Poulsen, 30, joined Juventus from Sevilla in 2008 and made 33 Serie A starts in two seasons in Turin. He also anchored the Denmark midfield in all three of the country's appearances at the World Cup finals.

A statement from Juventus read: "Juventus Football Club can announce that it has completed the agreement with Liverpool FC for the outright transfer of Christian Poulsen for a fee of €5.475 million (£4.5 million) payable in two instalments.

"The fee will further increase by up to €1.2 million depending on his achievements during the contract period.''

Liverpool also confirmed the deal on their official website and revealed that Poulsen has signed a three-year contract with the Reds.

Roy Hodgson has recruited the player as a like-for-like replacement for Javier Mascherano, who revealed on Thursday morning that while he enjoys playing for Liverpool, he is keen to leave England for a new challenge. Both Inter Milan and Barcelona are known to be interested in the Argentina captain.

"It's a very special club both in England and worldwide," Poulsen told sporten.dk. "I'm incredibly happy to have joined.

"We'll see in the coming days what kind of shape I'm in. I obviously trained at Juventus, but as the move to Liverpool drew closer, I wasn't involved in training, and I haven't played the Europa League matches so I would still be available [for Liverpool]."

Poulsen joins Joe Cole, Danny Wilson, Jonjo Shelvey, Fabio Aurelio and Milan Jovanovic in joining Liverpool this summer, and his international colleague Daniel Agger expects him to be a success at Anfield.

"Christian would be a perfect addition to most of the big clubs in Europe, so he will certainly fit in here," Agger said recently. "He is a top player and will make us stronger. We need to have big signings so we can compete and he is one of those players.

"Christian will improve the team. But we need more improvements if we want to be at the top of the league this season."

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Liverpool to become the wealthiest club?

Kenny Huang has told the Liverpool board that he is being backed by China's largest sovereign fund in a bid to step up his pursuit of the club.

As revealed by Click Liverpool on Monday, the former Wall Street stockbroker has now confirmed to Anfield chiefs, including chairman Martin Broughton, that his benefactors are the China Investment Corporation (CIC).

Huang issued a statement earlier today distancing himself from any bids for Liverpool with the investment arm, who have assets worth $332billion (£208bn), keen to tie up a deal in principal before the end of the month away from the media spotlight.

The Chinese businessman confirmed his interest in Liverpool but has yet to provide proof of CIC's funding to the board of Kop Holdings - the club's parent company before they can be considered as serious contenders to succeed George Gillett and Tom Hicks as owners.

Meanwhile Yahya Kirdi, another of six potential investors, has followed up his claims this morning that talks with the American duo are at an advanced stage by outlining his plans for a new stadium if negotiations are successful.

Speaking from his home in Canada the former Syrian footballer, who is a long-standing friend of Gillett's son Foster, has claimed that he will build a five-star hotel and a shopping centre on the proposed site in Stanley Park despite being dismissed earlier this year as a serious bidder.

"I want to build Liverpool," he said.

"I have a new plan which I have given George Gillett.

"This one is not only a stadium but also a stadium and hotel, five-star, and shopping centre."

British Airways chiief Broughton was installed as chairman of the Premier League outfit in April as part of plans by Barclays Capital to overlook the sale process and remains committed to accepting the 'right bid', ideally before the close of the transfer window on September 1.

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El-Nino commits his future to Liverpool

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has dismissed speculation linking him with a move away from Anfield by insisting he is extremely happy to be at "the best club in the country".

Torres, who returned to training on Monday after winning the World Cup with Spain, has been the subject of persistent transfer rumours after Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League and manager Rafa Benitez left the club.

Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City had both been touted as potential suitors but Torres, 26, has moved to quash suggestions he is ready to move on.

"My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed. I am looking forward to the challenge ahead," Torres said. "I am really happy to be back, really happy to stay with all my team-mates.

"This is the best club in the country so the targets and expectations are always high. At Liverpool the aim is to fight for every title. It was difficult last season, but we are sure we can improve this season."

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson always maintained that he wanted to keep the Reds' record-signing at the club and Torres said he was impressed to have been paid a personal visit.

"I really appreciated the fact that Roy came out to see me while I was on my holidays," Torres said. "He told me about his plans for the club and what he wanted from me and I appreciated that.

"I hope he will be the right man to reach the targets of Liverpool Football Club and I am really looking forward to working with him. At the moment I am training just on my own but as soon as I can I will train with the team and with the new manager."

Torres' commitment to remain with Liverpool follows that of skipper Steven Gerrard, who made a similar pledge when he returned after the World Cup.

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Chinese Billionaire confident of Liverpool deal

Liverpool stand to become the most powerful club in world football if the takeover deal with a Far East Sovereign Wealth fund is completed.

The deal currently being negotiated by Kenny Huang, and his Far East partner has already laid the blueprint to make Liverpool the wealthiest club on the planet.

A Soccernet source has been given an insight into the ambitious plans to launch Liverpool in China, with internet, sponsorship, and promotions aimed to push Liverpool beyond the means of even the richest clubs.

The source describes the plans as taking Liverpool to a scale as yet unseen in English football by tapping into the Chinese markets.

As the Far East group aim to wrest control from American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, the source believes US companies from Walmart to Apple could seek to work with Liverpool to make enormous inroads within the Chinese markets. That would eventually enable Liverpool to compete to buy the world's best players in every position.

While it has been suggested that there are alternatives bidders, Hicks and Gillett would like the banks and the Anfield board to push up the price to include cash for the two shareholders, but the hedge fund backing this bid is in no mood to be stampeded into paying more for control.

The Far East Sovereign Wealth fund knows it is offering Liverpool their greatest opportunity to compete on a world stage with the financial big hitters, a chance that might not materialise again.

The new investors from the Far East believe that the shares are not worth more than the debt, and are therefore worthless, and they have no intention of paying Gillett and Hicks the premium price they have been demanding.

The Americans valued Liverpool at £800 million, but have since dropped their valuation to £600 million. The offer on the table, though, is to cover the debts of £350m, notably paying off the Royal Bank of Scotland's near-£240 million debt.

That is where Hicks and Gillett's Achilles heel lies, and the RBS is keen for this deal to proceed.

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