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* LIVERPOOL

What they want

Quality, quality, quality. Three years into a five-year plan, Rafael Benitez has led his team to two Champions League finals, but they lack the quality to challenge for the Barclays Premiership title (Oliver Kay writes). A top-class centre forward (or two) is the most obvious of the Spaniard's requirements, which is why he is considering players such David Villa (Valencia), Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid) and, less realistically, Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona).

What they need

A top-level striker or two would make a big difference to a team that has not scored enough goals, but there is also a need for greater quality on both wings.

Morten Gamst Pedersen, the skilful left winger at Blackburn Rovers, is a potential target.

Targets

Two arrivals are already confirmed, Andriy Voronin, the Ukraine forward, on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, and Sebastian Leto, a young Argentine winger, from Club Atletico Lanus for Pounds 1.85 million. Eto'o, Torres and Villa may prove too expensive, leaving Benitez to look at the likes of Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe, Michael Owen or Carlos Tevez.

Budget

Hard to tell. Benitez has been promised "every support" in the transfer market by George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the new owners, but that is unlikely to mean investing Chelsea-like sums. A net outlay of about Pounds 30 million has been mooted, but, with new contracts for Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Jose Manuel Reina, Steve Finnan, Daniel Agger and Xabi Alonso in the pipeline, money may be a little tighter than imagined.

Departures

Jerzy Dudek will leave when his contract expires, with Boudewijn Zenden and Robbie Fowler likely to follow. Florent Sinama Pongolle last week made his loan move at Recreativo Huelva permanent, while Antony Le Tallec is expected to do the same at Sochaux. Djibril Cisse, on loan to Marseilles, and Harry Kewell will be urged to find new clubs. Sami Hyypia may depart, while Craig Bellamy and Peter Crouch will be deemed surplus to requirements if Benitez can find better players to replace them.