Micah Richards Manchester City
Defender Micah Richards has spent his entire senior career and most of his youth academy days with Manchester City, dating as far back as 2001. Reuters

Liverpool and manager Brendan Rodgers have clung to fourth place on the Premier League table, and the chance at Champions League play, despite losing out on their top transfer targets and suffering a litany of injuries this campaign, but that doesn’t mean the Reds believe they can remain stagnant during this summer’s transfer session.

Following the Premier League victory over Arsenal and the subsequent FA Cup loss to the Gunners, Rodgers’s side is eyeing a beef up to the defense and perhaps another scoring option to their already potent attack.

A point behind third-place Manchester City, the Reds are apparently open to working with the rival club for long tenured defender Micah Richards, according to The Sun. The 25-year-old hulking Englishman, who’s also a desired player for Galatasary, will cost any interested club £8 million.

Richards has spent his entire senior career and most of his youth academy days with City, dating as far back as 2001. In 179 career appearances Richards has netted seven goals, but his wide body and physical presence has more than made up for his lack of scoring.

The Reds are also looking to make a huge upgrade in net. Belgian Simon Mignolet has had an excellent run during his first year in Merseyside, but Liverpool could reach even higher into the stratosphere and purchase Costa Rican-born keeper Keylor Navas from La Liga’s Levante.

As reported by The People, the 27-year-old’s stock will only surge higher during the World Cup in Brazil and any of the interested clubs would be wise to tap him as soon as possible for the £8 million fee Levante seeks. Navas’s contract is also up at the conclusion of next season.

Levante has failed to rise up the top heavy Spanish league, but Navas is not to be blamed. In 30 total appearances he’s recorded an incredible 111 saves and 10 clean sheets.

In terms of bolstering an attack that already boasts Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, the Reds could make a splash by signing attacking midfielder Mathieu Valbuena away from Ligue 1’s Marseille, according to Talk Sport.

Valbuena, who’s notched three goals and eight assists in 34 total matches this campaign, has already informed the French club of his intentions to leave, but has placed a hold on any speculation until after the World Cup. "I can only say that this is my final season here, but I do not want to talk about my future,” Valbuena said. “Now I want make the best [season] possible with Marseille and my dream is to play in the World Cup in Brazil. Afterwards we will see."