Liverpool looking to land Bojan Krkic from Barcelona for cut-price £5m

Liverpool are plotting a summer swoop for Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic, who may be available for a cut-price £5m. The Reds are odds-on at 1/6 to bring Champions League football back to Anfield by recording a top-four finish.

Brendan Rodgers has sent scouts to watch 23-year-old Bojan during his season-long loan spell at Eredivisie champions and leaders Ajax, according to tabloid reports. Liverpool will be watching him closely in Europa League action against Red Bull Salzburg.

Frank de Boer’s boys must overturn a deficit of three away goals if the Dutch giants are to stay in Europe. Because of that, Ajax are 33/1 outsiders to qualify from this last 32 tie and 9/2 to win the second leg in Salzburg.

Bojan recently raised doubts that he will make a permanent switch to Amsterdam. “We’ll see about my future,” he said. “There are still two months of the season to go before any decisions are made.”

The Reds hierarchy are confident of luring Bojan to Merseyside as he will fit into the fluid style of Rodgers’ attack. He can play up front, in the hole or from either flank.

Barca exercised a buy-back clause on Bojan last summer after two difficult years for him in Serie A. He joined Roma for a reported £11m up front, which could have risen to approximately £35m had the player fulfilled his promise.

Bojan spent last season on loan at AC Milan, but struggled to hold down a first-team place at the San Siro. He scored a total of 10 goals in 52 Serie A matches.

If Rodgers can land Bojan this summer, he will be getting a player with plenty of trophies despite his tender years. After coming through the Nou Camp ranks, he won three consecutive La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and two Champions League crowns with Barcelona.

Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez apart, Liverpool’s other forward options have failed to make much of an impact. Summer signings Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto are now on the fringes, being used almost exclusively by Reds boss Rodgers as substitutes.

Victor Moses, on loan from Chelsea, meanwhile, is set to return to his parent club at the end of the season. Should Bojan return to Barca, he will have to compete with Lionel Messi, Neymar, Pedro, Alexis Sanchez and Cristian Tello for a spot in Tata Martino’s front three.