Liverpool set to offer Babel in bid to sign Cole

Liverpool are understood to have made an official bid to sign Carlton Cole from West Ham with a deal dependant on the London club acquiring Ryan Babel in return.

Since replacing Rafael Benitez at Anfield, Roy Hodgson has made no secret of the fact he wanted to sign a new forward and it seems the £10 million-rated striker is top of his wish-list.

West Ham wanted the full £10 million but now it seems a straight swap involving Babel could be on the cards.

Completing the deal would being an end to a relatively unsuccessul transfer window for Hodgson who missed out on signing PSV's Ola Toivonen and Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez.

Meanwhile, Paul Konchesky has been reunited with former manager Hodgson after finally completing his move to Liverpool from Fulham.

The 29-year-old has signed a four-year contract, with Liverpool reserve team players Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

Konchesky was at Anfield to watch his new team's victory over West Brom on Sunday but the completion of his deal was held up by negotiations and medicals for Dalla Valle and Kacaniklic.

The two-cap former England international, who played under Hodgson at Fulham, will provide much-needed competition for Fabio Aurelio at left-back.

Emiliano Insua is destined to leave the club, with a proposed loan to Galatasaray, after an earlier move to Fiorentina collapsed over personal terms despite the clubs agreeing a fee.

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