This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.
Liverpool want to sign Aaron Lennon from Tottenham - but the England winger's ticket to ride will cost at least £20million.
Once the Stewart Downing switch from Aston Villa is completed, Anfield transfer fixer Damien Comolli will turn his attention to Lennon, who plays wide right.
But Comolli knows his old Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will play hardball over the price.
Liverpool missed out to Manchester United in the race for Ashley Young and are eager to wrap up a £20m deal for left-winger Downing.
That would take Kenny Dalglish's 2011 spending to £98m after splashing out £35m for Andy Carroll and £23m for Luis Suarez in January, and a further £20m on Sunderland England Under-21 midfielder Jordan Henderson earlier this month.
Comolli is aware that Lennon, 24, may fancy a move back north - he started his Premier League career as a 16-year-old at Leeds United - and that Spurs could be willing to sell.
Boss Dalglish wants to inject more pace into his team and is also keen on Lennon.
Spurs are insistent that they want to keep hold of all their key men and are resisting any moves to flog Chelsea target Luka Modric as well as PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale.
But with Levy needing to raise cash to fund reinforcements, Lennon could still be sold at the right price. He was one of Comolli's first signings as Tottenham's director of football in 2005, although the deal with Leeds was teed up by his predecessor Frank Arnesen.
Comolli remains a staunch admirer of the player, whose all-round game has improved under Harry Redknapp.
Lennon could be ready for a new challenge - although he still has three years left on his current contract, meaning he will not come cheap.
Source: The People
This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.
This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.
Tagged: aaron lennon , lennon