Inter the chief rivals to Liverpool for £16m Uruguayan attacker
Published:Bologna have already lost one member of the three-pronged attack that fired them to the lofty heights of ninth in Serie A last season and it will cost Liverpool £16m if they want to prize away a second.
Main marksman Marco Di Vaio has left to become the first designated player to join the Montreal Impact and now Bologna are coming to terms with possibly also losing Gaston Ramirez.
The 21-year-old insists that he is happy to remain at Bologna for at least one more season even though his contract does not expire until 2016, but is tempted by the brighter lights of some bigger clubs around Europe.
Liverpool have led the interest from the Premier League, while Manchester City have also been linked with the winger.
Meanwhile, domestic interest has come from Inter Milan and there have been other enquiries from the likes of Wolfsburg and Zenit St Petersburg.
However, Bologna sporting director Roberto Zanzi told Radio Kiss Kiss: “At the moment there are two open negotiations for the player that, however, did not satisfy our expectations, neither ours nor his.
“In Italy, there is one club that has made a concrete offer to get to the player.
“Our expectations are high because we believe that those who take Ramirez can easily absorb an investment that initially seems onerous.”
Furthermore, Bologna would only receive 70 per cent of any such transfer which may push up their price slightly, as the other 30 per cent would go to former club Penarol.
It was a lack of wingers that Liverpool were arguably short of last season, with Jordan Henderson utilised out of position.
Dirk Kuyt leaving Anfield has further heightened their search for a new winger, while Maxi Rodriguez has been consistently linked with a return to Argentina.
A top-four finish will be the big aim of Brendan Rodgers this season in his first at Anfield, but it is 25/1 that he wins the Premier League.
