Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke)

Come to Papa! LFC plan £12m Kyriakos Papadopoulos swoop

Greek international centre-back targeted as Jamie Carragher replacement

Liverpool FC are set to launch a £12million bid to sign Schalke centre-back Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
The Reds have identified the 21-year-old Greek international as their No 1 target to replace Jamie Carragher.

* Potential LFC centre-back options for 2013/14 - the contenders

Papadopoulos missed the second half of the Bundesliga season after undergoing surgery on his left knee back in December but has now recovered and Liverpool have no concerns over his long-term fitness.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have also been linked with the highly-rated 6ft defender but the Reds are ready to act fast in the hope of winning the battle for his services.

Physically strong, comfortable in possession and dominant in the air, Papadopoulos has jumped above Swansea City's Ashley Williams and Ajax's Toby Alderweireld on the club's wish list of centre-backs.

The ECHO understands Liverpool are no longer interested in Williams with the Welsh club's £12million price tag for a player who turns 29 in August leading to them pursuing other options which provide better value.

As well as making a move for Papadopoulos, boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to further bolster his defensive options by completing deals for Manchester City's Kolo Toure and Sporting Lisbon's Tiago Ilori.

Ivory Coast international Toure is available on a free transfer as his contract at Eastlands expires this summer.

The 32-year-old is expected to hold talks with the Reds when he returns from Man City's end of season tour of America next week.

Rodgers is wary of the need to add more experience to his squad and believes Toure fits the bill.

Liverpool have been tracking Ilori for months and hoped the 20-year-old Portugal youth international centre-back would be available for around £1.5million.

However, having established himself in Sporting's first team towards the end of the campaign his value has increased.

It is likely to take a bid of around £3million to convince the cash-strapped Portuguese outfit to sell.

While Ilori is viewed as one for the future, Liverpool believe Papadopoulos would be able to come in and make an immediate impact in the Premier League.

Papadopoulos started his career at home town club Svoronos Katerinis before signing for Olympiacos in 2007.

When he made his first-team debut at the age of 15 he became the youngest player to every play in the Greek league.

He earned rave reviews for his performances for both Olympiakos and Greece Under-21s and in the summer of 2010 he moved to Schalke for around £2million.

During his three years in Germany his stock has continued to rise across Europe and he helped them reach the last 16 of this season's Champions League.

Back in August, Zenit St Petersburg had a £16million offer for Papadopoulos accepted but the player rejected the opportunity to join the wealthy Russian club and penned a new deal until 2016.

Schalke finished fourth in the Bundesliga last weekend to qualify for the Champions League but once again they are willing to sell Papadopoulos and Liverpool believe the Greece international would jump at the chance to make the switch to Anfield.


http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-plan-12m-kyriakos-3902111

Looks mean, hope hes keen. I have a feeling a 12million bid will be rejected though.

Yes please. Sign him up. I would pay 15 million for this lad. He is exactly what we need.

My Dortmund supporting mate said Felipe Santana is moving to Schalke next year because he doesn't play enough at Dortmund.

I don't see him moving to be 4th choice.

That would add to the likelihood of Papa leaving.

My Dortmund supporting mate said Felipe Santana is moving to Schalke next year because he doesn't play enough at Dortmund.

I don't see him moving to be 4th choice.

That would add to the likelihood of Papa leaving.

Santana has been roped in to replace Metzelder, who announced his retirement recently.

Reliable German journalist Raphael Honigstein was
on talksport and he just said Liverpool are close to
signing Schalke defender Papadopoulos.

Santana has been roped in to replace Metzelder, who announced his retirement recently.

Saw on twitter a few weeks back that. Didn't realise Metzelder was retiring tho. Still remember growing up and hearing about him at Dortmund & then Madrid, always wondered what happened him..

Reliable German journalist Raphael Honigstein was
on talksport and he just said Liverpool are close to
signing Schalke defender Papadopoulos.

If that comes to fruition, this is the best start we have had in a long time for the summer transfer window

I quite like the sound of this nutter, we need more characters in the squad and if nothing else, it might deflect some media attention away from Luis 

Absolute brute of a man. Think i might just get 'Big Papa' on back my liverpool top! 

This man is a psychopath!. F***ing sign him up. Almost as mental as Carra. Get him in!. 

It would be a risk as if I'm not wrong, he's picked up quite a few injuries in the last few years and recently had an operation and hasn't played since.

Hopefully if Skrtel is not sold and Coates is, Dagger and Papa would be our 1st choice, Skrtel 3rd and Toure 4th. Not bad I should say!

After Bellers went I was fuming because that man was like a pitbull locked on..  Scrap/Moan/Rant his way until the end that lad... Another one of those guys please.. This guy looks crackers..

 Mark Lawrenson: "I’m more enthused by Rodgers
having Schalke’s Greek centre-back Kyriakos
Papadopoulos on his wanted list. He would be the
signing I’d want. "This lad is promising, he has experience of playing
in the Champions League and a good league in
Germany, and he is an organiser of the defence.
Liverpool need that."

I'd be shocked if Lawrenson noticed who Papadopoulos was before this transfer window.

He doesn't half talk some sh*te. Even about players in the England. He called Carlton Cole a terrific player going back 4 months or so!

Sign him up. We like nutters.

I'd be shocked if Lawrenson noticed who Papadopoulos was before this transfer window.

He doesn't half talk some sh*te. Even about players in the England. He called Carlton Cole a terrific player going back 4 months or so!

Was thinking the same.

I'd be surprised if he's seen him play more than a few times.

Recently seen his performance against Bayern on Youtube, looked as decent when I saw him first in the world cup back in 2010.
Here's to hoping we get him as seems passionate about the game & very Sami like ability in the opposition goalmouth.

I'm sure Sami would have been asked about his opinion by his former comrades at Anfield about Papadopoulus (sp) as would be best placed working in Germany nowadays.

Blue chip player. Hugely strong, absolutely superb passer with both feet when played as the midfield distributer that he often was made to play in  Germany and the CL. Massively fast and is a very big goal scorer for a CB. I have seen him from day 1 at Olympiakos up until now - including international games. True fighter and natural winner. Real Madrid/Barcelona quality. Indeed real were inquiring about him for years and Barcelona fans saying he would be an upgrade to Puyol/Batra/Masc. All this and he is only 21 and has not even played in 6 months.

Will be fascinated if Liverpool get him for 12 million squid seeing as the 16 mil was turned down from the russians. I believe he has a release of near 20 million euros. Not sure what is going on to be honest.

Here are some videos, not of him playing/goals, there are many.. but of his personality.. he became a fan favorite and they even wrote songs about him..

Schalke 04 - Papadopoulos flippt aus

TiL ft. Hula - Papa (Web 0.4 Exclusive)

Papa als Piräus-Fachmann

Would be a great signing.

Papa-do-pull-ups.

Looks like Dortmund are signing Sokratis from Werder to replace Santana who is heading to Schalke.

Could pave the way for Papa to move to us.

With all the banter about signing him up because hes "hard" or "mad" lets not lose sight of the fact he looks to be a top top defender solid in the air and a threat from set pieces.

Would be a very very good signing

With all the banter about signing him up because hes "hard" or "mad" lets not lose sight of the fact he looks to be a top top defender solid in the air and a threat from set pieces.

Would be a very very good signing

Spot on as usual Brian. That's what we need, someone who is physically strong in defense and a menace at set pieces. If this bloke fits the bill, get him in and let's hope he reaks havoc on opposition forwards.