Liverpool keen on City trio

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is considering moves for three Manchester City players who do not appear to be part of Roberto Mancini's long-term plans.

The Anfield manager is working hard to bring in new additions on a shoestring budget. He has already snapped up Jonjo Shelvey and Milan Jovanovic for next to nothing and now appears ready to tempt stars Nedum Onuoha, Micah Richards and Michael Johnson.

Benitez is keen to add more 'homegrown' players into his squad ahead of the new regulations set to be enforced by the Premier League next season and has therefore earmarked moves for these three Englishman who have all represented their countries at various levels, with defender Richards being the only one of the trio to have earnt full international honours.

The Spaniard has been linked with moves for Michael Johnson for some time now but could consider this summer to be the right time to nab a player who has had a string of problems both and off the field over the past two seasons during which time he has managed just three Premier League starts.

Micah Richards has been fighting for a regular first-team spot for some time now and has been linked with moves away from the club with both Tottenham and Aston Villa reportedly expressing an interest in the player who was a regular in the England set-up when Steve McClaren was at the helm. Nedum Onuoha was a player that Mark Hughes rated highly and the Nigerian-born former England U21 international put pen to paper on a five-year contract last summer but found himself out of the first-team reckoning when Mancini arrived, consigning the defender to just five starts last term.

Whilst Liverpool may not be able to afford moves for all three of the players seemingly deemed 'surplus to requirements' at the City of Manchester Stadium, Rafa will apparently look to pounce for this £22m rated trio this summer, dependent on how much money he can make from offloading some of his squad players.

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