Teixeira Wants January Move, but Shakhtar Increase Valuation to €50 million

NORAD dutifully tracks Santa Claus' movements across the sky at Christmas, and Liverpool fans somewhat inexplicably do the same for Ian Ayre during the transfer window. A gaggle of disappointed Reds kept tabs on Ayre's flight home from Florida on Friday, disappointed that negotiations with Shaktar Donetsk over the services of Alex Teixeira had ended without Teixeira: The Sequel putting pen to paper and boarding a plane.

Though negotiations had clearly reached an impasse, it wasn't through lack of effort nor interest on the part of 2 Tex 2 Transfer. Shaktar's valuation has risen from the €40m (£30m) -- what it was originally thought to take to wrench the player from the Ukrainian club's hands -- to a whopping €50m (£37m). Because they can. Liverpool are sticking to the original bid of £30m plus add-ons, but regardless of the current distance between the two clubs, Teixeira: Electric Boogaloo has made it clear he'd rather move sooner rather than later.

"I would like to move in this transfer window and have told them [Shakhtar] that," Teixeira confirmed to Brazilian outlet Globo. "They have received a very good offer and they are working on a solution. But if I don't go now then I will leave in the summer. After six years in Europe and with Shakhtar we are ready to move and I have spoken to my wife and daughter."

"It is my desire to move to a big league and I know that the English league is very strong. I am ready and I know that I will grow up a lot there. I am aware that two big clubs such as Liverpool and Chelsea are interested but I haven't given my word to either of them. My aim is to move to a big club so that I can well there and get a place in the Brazil squad. Everyone knows that it is hard to achieve and I need to leave here to achieve that goal."

Liverpool still have a week to come to an agreement with Shaktar, but fans still burned by previous Ukranian oligarch owners changing their minds at the last minute won't feel terribly optimistic about the club's chances of ensuring the Brazilian is on Merseyside at the end of the window. If that turns out to be the case, Liverpool will have to hope that Teixeira 2: Transfer Harder is still interested in a move once the summer rolls around.