Rumour Mongering: Your Defence is Now Diamonds Edition

Inter Milan may have already agreed a deal of around £8M to see Wesley Sneijder move to Galatasaray, but with the player dragging his feet in favour of life in the Premier League the old rumours linking him to Liverpool refuse to go away completely. However, at 28 years of age, Sneijder would be the oldest player signed for a fee since Fenway Sports Group arrived, and further complicating matters would be the £200k weekly salary and unwillingness to take a pay cut that have made him surplus to requirements at Inter Milan—and that would make him Liverpool's top earner.

Another potential stumbling block is that Sneijder's best—and perhaps only—role would have to be as the most attacking midfielder in Brendan Rodgers' 433, and that Rodgers appears set on forcing Joe Allen into that role come hell or high water. When everything's said and done, then, Sneijder is a little long in the tooth, would cost a great deal, and isn't positionally flexible. On the other hand, despite a recent downturn in form it's hard to argue he isn't world class—or at least very close to it—as an attacking midfielder. And with Ian Ayre telling Sky Sports, "There is no policy at this club of only signing young players, that is a myth," over the weekend, the unlikely signing of Sneijder would certainly prove the club are willing to spend on experienced talent every now and then.

Elsewhere, less than a week on from everybody being certain Liverpool were on the verge of signing Nicolas Isimat-Mirin from French side Valenciennes, everyone is now certain Liverpool are on the verge of signing Vegard Forren from Molde. The 24-year-old centre back made five appearances for Norway after breaking into the senior national team in the autumn of 2012, and while his lack of experience at the highest levels does leave room for doubt, his ability to fill in at left back could help him ease into the Premier League if he does make the move.

A confident, ball-playing centre back, Forren would likely cost around £4M. Pace could be a concern in the Premier League, especially if Liverpool continue to seek to play a pressing game with a high defensive line, though by most reports he is good defensively in the air and in the tackle. If the rumours—rumours that have taken off based on a few short lines in the Norwegian press today—are to believed, he could be in Liverpool as soon as Wednesday to take a medical and complete the deal.

Back in England, there has been some suggestion Liverpool may have replaced one Championship target with another, as rumours linking Chung-Yong Lee have filled the void left by growing doubts that a deal for Tom Ince will be completed in Janaury. The 24-year-old South Korean winger currently plies his trade in the Championship with Bolton. He spent most of last season sidelined by a badly broken leg but has scored five goals so far in the current campaign.

And finally, this week's dose of the crazy comes—as so many have over the past few months—by way of Catalunya, with rumours that Victor Valdes could ditch Barcelona in favour of replacing Pepe Reina at Liverpool. Even in the category of insane, unlikely, and just plain not going to happen rumours this sets a new standard for pants-on-head ridiculous, and unless a round of Wayne Rooney to Liverpool kicks off before the end of January it's unlikely to be matched any time soon.