Liverpool join chase for Smith

Alan Smith: set to leave Leeds

14 April 2012

Liverpool have joined the race to sign Leeds striker Alan Smith following a clear signal that Emile Heskey is heading for Birmingham in a cut-price £4million summer move.

Manager Gerard Houllier is a confirmed admirer of Smith and is ready to compete with Newcastle and Manchester United for his signature after appearing to have finally

decided Heskey's future. Liverpool's out-of-favour England striker turned down a mid-season move to Middlesbrough, but has responded favourably to overtures from Birmingham manager Steve Bruce - first revealed in Sportsmail - after reluctantly accepting that he no longer figures in Houllier's plans.

Heskey's departure would create room for another addition to Liverpool's strike force and release extra funds which Houllier is ready to earmark for Smith's services. After making a tearful exit from the Premiership in Sunday's crushing 4-1 defeat at Bolton, Leeds-born Smith conceded that an end-of-season transfer from Elland Road was inevitable. An apparent wariness about joining Leeds' bitter rivals at Old Trafford looked to have made Newcastle his likely destination in a £7m-plus deal.

But Houllier believes the advantage could yet swing Liverpool's way if they edge out Newcastle in the battle for fourth place and are able to offer the 23-year-old the added attraction of Champions League football next season.

Smith was shocked by Leeds' refusal even to contemplate offering him a new contract, but there were no apologies from managing director David Richmond as he spelled out the dire financial plight facing the Yorkshire club after running up an annual wage bill of £53m. 'We are in such a mess on and off the pitch,' he said. 'Our wage bill is astronomical and I can promise there will be a complete rebuilding in the summer.

'The vast majority of our players are not wanted by other clubs because their wages are absolutely, totally and utterly beyond belief.

'Players will have to go and decisions made which, in the short term, will be perceived as unpopular. But I will get rid of those players we need to as quickly as possible to give us the best possibl e chance of coming back stronger next season.

' To go down in the way we did is not what we were hoping for at all - and I have to say I will work every hour possible, night and day, to rebuild this football club. We need a team with heart and spirit.'

Smith last night pleaded with fans not to lay the blame for Sunday's relegation debacle at the door of his strike partner Mark Viduka, whose red card preceded the rout.

Smith said: ' Nobody should point the finger at Mark - don't forget, his goals kept us up last year.'

The board will meet today to decide who goes and who stays, but that decision looks likely to be taken out of their hands - haulage magnate Steve Parkin is to increase his bid for the club to around £25m.

Houllier has already agreed a £ 14m fee for Auxerre striker Djibril Cisse, but would have no hesitation in also recruiting Smith, provided a possible bidding war did not send the price spiralling towards £10m.

Liverpool, who have arranged for Harry Kewell to have surgery on his ankle injury this summer, expect to generate further transfer cash by cutting their losses on El Hadji Diouf and selling him to Marseille for around half the £10m he cost.

Diouf has made it clear he would favour a move to the Stade Velodrome, while Marseille have enquired about the unpredictable Senegal forward after becoming resigned to losing danger man Didier Drogba, the architect of Liverpool's UEFA Cup exit in March.

Liverpool's hopes of landing Philippe Mexes receded after Roma entered negotiations to sell £17m-rated centre back Walter Samuel to Chelsea and then identified the Auxerre defender as his potential replacement.

MORE ABOUT

Didier Drogba

Liverpool join chase for Smith

Read More