Spaniard is LFC's top summer target

Liverpool have made Newcastle United star Jose Enrique their top target to solve their left-back problem in the summer.

The Reds believe they can land the Spanish defender for around £6 million at the end of the season and will fight Milan and Aston Villa for his signature.

Newcastle could demand as much as £12m for Enrique but Liverpool hope to take advantage of the fact his contract expires in 2012 and he has refused to discuss a new deal.

It means Newcastle are unlikely to make a big profit on the player they signed from Villarreal for £6.3m in August 2007. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is reluctant to lose another of his best players after the sale of Andy Carroll but accepts the club's hand may be forced by the player's wishes.

Enrique, 25, has revealed he is flattered by interest in him and recently broke ranks to attack the Newcastle board for selling Carroll to Liverpool for £35m last month with the club fighting for Premier League survival.

"I want to win things," he said last week. "I'm OK at Newcastle but I aspire to more.

"I love the fans here and suffered with them when we were relegated. But we have to be realistic. Newcastle aren't performing well."

And the former Valencia man, who is keen to improve his prospects of getting in the Spain team, could join his former team-mate at Anfield and has been scouted in person by Damien Comolli, Liverpool's director of football strategy.

Enrique, a former Spain under-21 international, has been in impressive form this season after he played a key role in Newcastle's promotion from the Championship last year.

He is currently seen by the Liverpool as the most attractive option to strengthen the left-back position that has caused problems for Reds manager Kenny Dalglish. Enrique has proved himself as a consistent performer in the Premier League and is both an accomplished defender and an attacking threat.

Glen Johnson is currently being played out of position at left-back with Fabio Aurelio out of favour and Paul Konchesky on loan at Nottingham Forest until the end of the season.

Celtic star Emilio Izaguirre is also being monitored by the Anfield club while Benfica's Fabio Coentrao remains an option but will cost in excess of £20m.

That makes Enrique a far more realistic target as he looks increasingly likely to leave St James' Park in the summer transfer window rather than sign a new contract.

He has cited broken promises previously made to him by the club and expressed scepticism as to whether all the money raised from Carroll's mega-money sale will be reinvested in the squad.

Source: Goal.com

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