Liverpool 'chasing Kenwyne Jones'

Liverpool are in talks with Sunderland about bringing striker Kenwyne Jones to Anfield, BBC Sport understands.

The 25-year-old is wanted by Liverpool on loan but Sunderland are holding out for a permanent deal in the summer.

On Monday, Sunderland said that there was "not a chance" of Jones joining Liverpool on a temporary basis.

Reds boss Rafael Benitez wants to boost his goalscoring options following injuries to Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun.

Previous reports had hinted Benitez was keen to swap out-of-favour Reds forward Ryan Babel for Jones, but the deal was dismissed by Sunderland manager Steve Bruce.

Birmingham have also been linked with a bid for Trinidad & Tobago international Jones, who signed a new four-and-a-half year contract last January.

However, Bruce and chairman Niall Quinn have both spoken in recent days of their desire to keep the player at the club.

The 6ft 1in frontman, signed from Southampton for £6m in 2007, has scored six goals this season and forged a promising partnership with leading scorer Darren Bent.

He played the full 90 minutes in Sunderland's most recent game - a 7-2 thrashing by Premier League leaders Chelsea on Saturday.

Liverpool have had a difficult season so far and are seventh in the Premier League and have been knocked out of all the major cup competitions.

They have won only five of their last 17 games in all competitions, a run that has seen them eliminated from the Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League and ended any realistic title ambition, with the Europa League now their only hope of honours.

Their most recent result was a 1-1 draw at Stoke on Saturday, which came off the back of a home loss to Reading in the FA Cup.

Despite Liverpool's position, Benitez said on Monday that he may not make signings during the transfer window.

"We will see if we can do something more in this window," he said. "If we cannot we will stick together for the next challenge. We have a good team, a good squad and not as bad as people think.

"It is important to have confidence. When people say we need two strikers like Torres you say 'OK. Where are these strikers and how much can you pay for them?"'

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.