As Liverpool moved closer to the signing of Joe Allen from Swansea, it emerged that the North-East club would have to commit to paying around £20 million to secure a deal before the start of the season.
Rodgers is keen to raise funds by offloading a striker he does not believe can adapt to his style of football. He has made it clear to Carroll since his appointment that he could not make any guarantees about the player’s Anfield future. It is now clear Carroll will go as soon as a suitable bid is lodged.
Liverpool rejected the first proposal of a loan back to St James’ Park. The only compromise on this would be if Newcastle paid a huge sum up front, of around £5 million, to secure Carroll for the season before committing themselves to another large chunk to make the deal permanent next summer.
If they cannot agree a loan, Newcastle are expected to lodge an initial offer of £10 million-£15 million later in the transfer window, and Carroll would be happy to rejoin them.
Liverpool have been stung too often in recent loan deals – they still cannot shift the Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani after his two-year loan stint in Serie A – and will not make the same mistake again.
Although Carroll will plainly insist his preference is for Liverpool to deal solely with Newcastle, Rodgers will not feel his bargaining position has especially weakened.
Much is made of the embarrassment for the Merseyside club in paying £35 million for the player 18 months ago and already facing a loss of at least £15 million.The club’s hierarchy have long since accepted the folly of that deal, and the fact that those responsible – Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish – have since been sacked is as much of a painful acknowledgement of the miscalculation as any financial hit they now inevitably face.
Rodgers’ willingness to offload Carroll, which he hinted at in public last week, was made clear to club owners Fenway Sports Group when the manager outlined his vision for the future. He has the club’s blessing to reshape the squad as he sees fit and Carroll knows that if he was to stay on Merseyside he would be a squad player.
It is not merely what the 23 year-old does or does not do with the ball and his preference for a more direct style, which Rodgers does not advocate, that is the striker’s problem.
Also central to Rodgers’ philosophy is the positioning and work rate of his side when they lose possession and how they hunt in packs to get it back within a few seconds.
Carroll simply lacks the mobility required to function in the 4-3-3 Rodgers prefers, which will initially include Luis Suárez as a lone striker.
After signing Fabio Borini from Roma for £11 million, Rodgers is close to adding Allen for a similar fee and negotiations are continuing with Fulham to secure Clint Dempsey.
Allen is aware of Liverpool’s interest and has asked Swansea not to deny him the opportunity to move to Merseyside.
Although there was an agreement between Liverpool and the Welsh side not to pursue those players who flourished under Rodgers, ultimately it is the player’s decision.
Allen wants Swansea to negotiate a fee with the Merseyside club because he is keen to reunite with Rodgers, who will make him a key component of his Liverpool midfield alongside Steven Gerrard and Lucas.
Dempsey has also been a target since Rodgers’ appointment, his ability to play either as a target man or in a 4-3-3 attracting him to the Northern Irishman.
The American striker is 29, however, which is impacting on how much Liverpool are prepared to pay.
Funds have been freed in recent days by the release of Maxi Rodriguez, who was earning around £80,000 a week, and the imminent departure of Craig Bellamy, who has been unable to settle on Merseyside following his return last summer.
A youthful Liverpool squad headed to Boston on Monday for the beginning of a North American tour.
Joe Cole is among those hoping to persuade Rodgers he can revive his Liverpool career, while other Dalglish signings, such as Charlie Adam, must also convince the new manager of their credentials.
The same will apply to the likes of Jordan Henderson, who will join the squad with the rest of the England contingent in a week’s time.
Carroll will be among those expected to join the squad in the United States. If he wants to avoid a difficult cross-Atlantic meeting with Liverpool’s new manager in a week’s time, he will need to convince his former club to reinvest swiftly some of the British record transfer fee they received for him, which was paid in full at the time of his move.
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