LIVERPOOL TRANSFER RUMOURS: David Villa In Talks For Anfield Move, De Jong Set To Replace Kuyt, Reports

Liverpool may have parted company with their director of football Damien Comolli earlier today, but it appears that the club's transfer business for the summer is pushing ahead at full steam.

In a story that will surely excite the vast majority of Liverpool fans, it is being reported that club have been in contact with representatives of Barcelona forward David Villa, according to Spanish radio network Cadena Ser, as reported by Yahoo and Tribal Football.

The Spain international is currently recovering from a broken leg suffered in the Club World Cup back in December, but that is not dampening Liverpool's interest, according to the speculation.

Villa, who cost Barcelona around €40 million ($53m) when he joined the Catalan giants from Valencia in in the summer of 2010, has been linked with Liverpool several times in the past.

There was speculation before the 30-year-old's injury that Liverpool could be interested in procuring him in the January transfer window.

While Barcelona would be reluctant to lose money on the player, there was a growing belief, even before his injury, that Villa was struggling to flourish at Camp Nou. Pushed to the left due to Lionel Messi thriving in the false nine position, Villa was not even in the starting lineup for El Clasico last December.

The emergence of Isaac Cuenca and Cristian Tello from Barcelona B, as well as Alexis Sanchez's form since arriving last summer, mean that it may be even tougher for Villa to feature upon his return.

But a player with a goal-scoring record as prolific as Villa is likely to have a host of suitors and there will be doubts as to whether Liverpool, without Champions League soccer, will be an attractive enough proposition.

Another striker that is being linked with an Anfield switch is Dutch international Luuk De Jong. The FC Twente star has hit 21 goals in 21 games in the Eredivisie this season and is expected to be moving to one of Europe's big leagues in the summer.

Twente's coach Steve McClaren recently said that De Jong would be a perfect fit for the Premier League. And, according to Italian source Tuttomercato, as reported by Caught Offside, Liverpool are leading the chase for the tall 21-year-old.

It could be a case of one Dutch international in, one out at Anfield this summer, with the Daily Mail reporting that Feyenoord will offer Dirk Kuyt a coaching role in order to tempt the forward to move back to Rotterdam.

Kuyt, who has been a largely peripheral figure at Anfield this season, could well be high on the list of players to let go if the club wishes to refresh the Liverpool squad this summer.