Loic Remy set to replace Luis Suarez at Liverpool

Liverpool, 10/1 to win the Premier League with Coral, have met the release clause in France and QPR-owned forward Loic Remy’s contract by bidding £8.5m for him.

The 27-year-old netted 14 top-flight goals last term during a season-long loan spell at Newcastle United. Following confirmation that Luis Suarez is now a Barcelona player following a reported £75m switch from Anfield, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has moved swiftly to replace him with Remy.

Making two substitute appearances at the World Cup finals for his country, Remy will now discuss personal terms and undergo a medical on Merseyside. If these are agreed and passed, then it will likely result in the transfer of Italian attacker Fabio Borini to Sunderland for a fee that could rise to £14m.

Having steered Liverpool back into the Champions League, Rodgers has recruited heavily this summer already, spending around £60m on Southampton pair Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, Germany Under-21 midfielder Emre Can and Serbia winger Lazar Markovic.

Remy will compete with England strikers Lambert and Daniel Sturridge for a starting spot in the Anfield attack. He indicated last season that he wanted to switch to a club playing in Europe, dashing Newcastle’s hopes of a permanent transfer.

Averaging a goal every other game in 40 Premier League outings, Remy was also a reported target for top four hopefuls Everton and Tottenham, as well as the latter’s north London neighbours Arsenal.

Rodgers’ swoop for Remy will soften the blow of missing out on Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, who opted to join Arsene Wenger instead of being a makeweight in the Suarez to Barcelona deal.

The Reds look set to be beaten by Spurs to the signature of Swansea City and Wales left back Ben Davies, however. Mauricio Pochettino is, according to the weekend press, reportedly willing to offer Iceland international midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who had a successful loan spell at the Liberty in 2012, to the Swans as a sweetener.

Odds of 20/1 say Liverpool will win the Champions League upon their return to Europe’s elite club competition.