Shawcross (L) for Poulsen could be a coup for Liverpool, although it is unclear whether Stoke will accept the offer.

With fitness concerns regarding his side's defenders, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish will attempt to kill two birds with one stone as he looks to sign Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross with a cash-plus-player deal involving unwanted midfielder Christian Poulsen.

According to caughtoffside.com, Liverpool are set to offer £10 million plus Poulsen to Stoke, in a bid to land their 23-year-old centre-back. Shawcross fits in with Liverpool's policy of signing young British players.

However, Liverpool have already had a £10 million bid rejected for the player, as Stoke want something closer to their £18 million valuation of their captain. That leaves Dalglish in a tight spot, as he needs to sell to improve on his offer, considering he already has a cluster of unwanted players at his service.

Apart from Poulsen, Joe Cole, Alberto Aquilani and David N'gog are some of the others he is looking to offload.

Interestingly, Arsenal are considering a shock-bid for Joe Cole, as they have lost Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and are on the verge of losing Samir Nasri to Manchester City.

The 29-year-old had a disastrous debut season at Liverpool, since moving from Chelsea last summer, as he was bogged down by injuries after which he failed to impress Dalglish enough to gain a place in the starting squad. He looks to be on the periphery of the squad again this season, while his huge wages mean the Reds are looking to find a buyer.

Happily for Cole, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the player still has it in him and is ready to offer an escape route to the player, although he will ask Cole to take a major pay-cut.

Another Liverpool midfielder who has interested other clubs is Raul Meireles. Chelsea are believed to be considering is a bid for the Portuguese international, who was the PFA Fans Player of the Year last year. He has fallen out of favour with Dalglish and is currently surplus to requirements at Anfield as he came on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland during the weekend.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is familiar with the 28-year-old, during their time together at Porto, and is reportedly attempting to lure him to Stamford Bridge, while it will help Liverpool balance the books after their summer spending spree.

Finally, according to the Daily Mirror, Liverpool are said to be considering a bid for Celtic winger Paddy McCourt. The 27-year-old scored a superb individual goal for Northern Ireland in their 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands in a Euro 2012 qualifier last week, and it has been suggested that Dalglish is looking at the prospect of making him an impact player.

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