Liverpool have made contact with Spartak Moscow to enquire about the availability of Brazilian midfielder Romulo after appearing to miss out to Chelsea in their pursuit of Mohamed Salah.

Salah, the FC Basel playmaker, looks set to sign for Chelsea after the London club announced yesterday that a deal has been struck with the Swiss champions.

Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, will then be left having to search for other targets after courting the Egyptian for a matter of months.

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While not a like-for-like replacement, the funds which the Reds will have spent on Salah will now be available to be invested elsewhere in the wake of Lucas Leiva's two-month lay-off.

Recent reports suggested that Liverpool, sat in fourth place in the Premier League table, could make an offer for AC Milan midfielder Nigel De Jong.

But Rodgers has distanced himself from that speculation and it is now suggested that the Reds have instead started making enquiries about Romulo.

According to The Daily Express, the Anfield club had tabled a £7m offer - but the Russians are holding out for £10m.

Romulo joined Moscow in 2012 for £6.5m and has since earned eight caps for his country.

Shape Created with Sketch. Liverpool - January transfer targets Show all 13 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Liverpool - January transfer targets 1/13 Yevhen Konoplyanka - Ukrainian international winger who impressed against England in recent World Cup qualifiers. Happy playing on either flank. Getty Images 2/13 Javier Pastore - Very impressive and highly rated as a youngster, the Argentine international's career has stalled slightly since his £40m move to PSG. With the French club pursuing Juan Mata, a move to Liverpool could help Pastore get his career back on track and secure his World Cup place. For Liverpool it looks like they could secure some top quality reinforcement fairly reasonably. 3/13 Will Hughes - Derby's teenage midfielder has been consistently linked with a move to Anfield. However despite Brendan Rodgers' penchant for nurturing young talent, the Liverpool manager has so far denied he will be making a move. Getty 4/13 Michu - Last season's sensation has suffered slightly from second season syndrome but nevertheless he remains an excellent player. The Spaniard recently expressed an interest in playing at a higher level, could his signing help Liverpool secure a precious Champions League spot? AFP/Getty Images 5/13 Hakan Calhanoglu - Hamburg's young star has also attracted the attention of Arsenal but with the London side packed with a surfeit of high-profile attacking midfielders, Liverpool might prove an easier place for the Turk to establish himself. 6/13 Danny Ings - With Rodgers looking to reinforce his SAS strike partnership, England U21 international Ings could be in line for a January move. The Burnley hitman has 12 league goals so far this season. 7/13 Jorginho - With Liverpool wanting to ease the strain on ageing skipper Steven Gerrard, Verona's Brazilian Jorginho could be the man to make the move to Anfield with a rumoured £15m transfer. 8/13 Claudio Marchisio - With Juventus' early Champions League exit meaning the midfielder could be on his way out in order to recoup some money, Liverpool could swoop to pick up a classy long term alternative for Gerrard. 9/13 Konstaninos Mitroglou - The Olympiakos striker's exploits this season have alerted not only Arsenal but also Liverpool to a possible January move. Would help take the strain off Suarez. 10/13 Ivan Rakitic - The Sevilla man may have a rather off-putting €40m release clause but that allegedly hasn't put off Liverpool who are still keen on the Croatian. 11/13 Salomon Rondon - Reportedly a Liverpool target when Suarez's exit from the club seemed inevitable, Rondon could be on his way out at Rubin Kazan and Liverpool may well renew their interest in the forward. 12/13 Ola Toivonen - The Swede is available on a free in the summer but Rodgers is said to be hopeful of taking him on loan before then. His versatility could prove handy at Anfield. 13/13 Kevin Volland - Liverpool are said to be one of five Premier League clubs after the young winger whose performances in the Bundesliga have impressed. 1/13 Yevhen Konoplyanka - Ukrainian international winger who impressed against England in recent World Cup qualifiers. Happy playing on either flank. Getty Images 2/13 Javier Pastore - Very impressive and highly rated as a youngster, the Argentine international's career has stalled slightly since his £40m move to PSG. With the French club pursuing Juan Mata, a move to Liverpool could help Pastore get his career back on track and secure his World Cup place. For Liverpool it looks like they could secure some top quality reinforcement fairly reasonably. 3/13 Will Hughes - Derby's teenage midfielder has been consistently linked with a move to Anfield. However despite Brendan Rodgers' penchant for nurturing young talent, the Liverpool manager has so far denied he will be making a move. Getty 4/13 Michu - Last season's sensation has suffered slightly from second season syndrome but nevertheless he remains an excellent player. The Spaniard recently expressed an interest in playing at a higher level, could his signing help Liverpool secure a precious Champions League spot? AFP/Getty Images 5/13 Hakan Calhanoglu - Hamburg's young star has also attracted the attention of Arsenal but with the London side packed with a surfeit of high-profile attacking midfielders, Liverpool might prove an easier place for the Turk to establish himself. 6/13 Danny Ings - With Rodgers looking to reinforce his SAS strike partnership, England U21 international Ings could be in line for a January move. The Burnley hitman has 12 league goals so far this season. 7/13 Jorginho - With Liverpool wanting to ease the strain on ageing skipper Steven Gerrard, Verona's Brazilian Jorginho could be the man to make the move to Anfield with a rumoured £15m transfer. 8/13 Claudio Marchisio - With Juventus' early Champions League exit meaning the midfielder could be on his way out in order to recoup some money, Liverpool could swoop to pick up a classy long term alternative for Gerrard. 9/13 Konstaninos Mitroglou - The Olympiakos striker's exploits this season have alerted not only Arsenal but also Liverpool to a possible January move. Would help take the strain off Suarez. 10/13 Ivan Rakitic - The Sevilla man may have a rather off-putting €40m release clause but that allegedly hasn't put off Liverpool who are still keen on the Croatian. 11/13 Salomon Rondon - Reportedly a Liverpool target when Suarez's exit from the club seemed inevitable, Rondon could be on his way out at Rubin Kazan and Liverpool may well renew their interest in the forward. 12/13 Ola Toivonen - The Swede is available on a free in the summer but Rodgers is said to be hopeful of taking him on loan before then. His versatility could prove handy at Anfield. 13/13 Kevin Volland - Liverpool are said to be one of five Premier League clubs after the young winger whose performances in the Bundesliga have impressed.

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