Liverpool battle duo for Cole

Roy Hodgson has made his first bid to bring a major new player to Anfield this summer by rekindling Liverpool's interest in Spurs and Arsenal transfer target Joe Cole.

The former Chelsea midfielder will make a decision on his future this month, with several top clubs having already expressed an interest in signing him.

The north London rivals appeared ready to go head-to-head for the England international.

However, new Reds boss Hodgson - who only took over at the club late last week - has made it one of his top priorities to make a bid for Cole that could see him arrive on Merseyside this summer.

Hodgson is also being linked with a move for Wigan's £6million-rated defender Maynor Figueroa.

But the acquisition of Cole would be a far bigger talking point among the Kop faithful, who would likely see their team built around the talented playmaker in tandem with captain Steven Gerrard.

Standing in the way of Liverpool's audacious bid for the England international are comments by his agent David Giess last week, who said Champions League football 'is high on his list of priorities'.

The Reds failed to qualify for Europe's top club competition last season after a disappointing campaign saw them finish seventh and narrowly scrape into the Europa League.

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