Liverpool have been linked with a move unsettled AC Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini as the list of players to replace the believed Inter Milan bound Javier Mascherano, continues to grow.

The former Arsenal player is the latest of a number of central midfielders to be linked as a possible replacement for the Argentinian captain, which so far also includes Scott Parker of West Ham, Christian Poulsen of Juventus and Steven Defour of Standard Liege as the leading contenders.

The present Kenny Huang takeover speculation surrounding Liverpool at the present time, will no doubt continue to cause many further players of a similar position to be linked to the club and maybe of a higher profile should the bid succeed. In the meantime Hodgson may continue to look at more cost effective solutions to bolster the side, of which Flamini would fall into that remit and save the Mascherano sale funds to boost other positions which are lacking within the squad.

Flamini has recently been quoted as saying of his position at AC Milan: “I’m happy to be in Italy, it’s a great championship and I’m having a lot of fun. But in football, you never know.”

Since moving to AC Milan in 2008 from Arsenal, Flamini has gone on to make 79 appearances for the club.

Developments on the Mascherano situation were initially expected to develop from Wednesday onwards of this week but at the present time the sale of the club no doubt continues to dominate the boards time at Anfield as much as it does the headlines. One of the initial points raised as the bid emerged was that Huang’s primary interests included ensuring that its leading players never left the club before he had the chance to bring both investment and stability. The defensive midfielder is still believed to have his heart set on a Anfield exit but whether in due course the expected new era at Liverpool brings about a change of heart for the player remains to be seen.

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