Lazio reportedly hope to complete the signing of Liverpool target Davide Astori this week.
Il Messaggero claims the Serie A outfit’s president, Claudio Lotito, is quietly confident of securing a deal for the Cagliari centre-half by tomorrow or Wednesday after hammering out a swap deal.
Teenagers Danilo Cataldi and Mamadou Tounkara will move in the opposite direction if the proposed switch is confirmed, with Lazio parting with a fee in the region of £4.5million plus add-ons.
A source close to Anfield told Football Express News the Reds are anxious to significantly strengthen their much-maligned defence during the summer transfer window but the arrival of Astori now appears to be highly unlikely.
The 27-year-old was one of the names on the wishlist of the Premier League runners-up at the start of the summer, but they knew it would be an uphill struggle if the Italy international was presented with the opportunity to remain in his homeland.
He was an attractive option, not least because he has less than 12 months remaining on his contract, which explains the relatively modest fee for his services.
Liverpool are now ready to move on to other defensive targets in a bid to eradicate the kind of individual errors which scuppered their push for top spot last term.
