Liverpool have confirmed the imminent capture of Dutch International Boudewijn Zenden. The player has passed a medical and will sign his contract to join the European Champions on Monday.
Zenden’s contract at Middlesborugh expired at the end of June so Liverpool will get the midfielder without having to pay a transfer fee.
Liverpool’s Champions League defence starts with the first qualifying game on July 13th, and the 28-year-old will be eligible for that first game.
Confirming the news on the official Liverpool website, Reds spokesman Ian Cotton said: "Bolo Zenden has passed his medical. We have reached an agreement with the player and expect the contract to be signed on Monday morning. He will then be introduced at a press conference later that afternoon."
Another player who should be on his way to Anfield is Chilean winger Mark Gonzales. Liverpool are in the final stages of talks with his current club Albacete which will see the player arrive at Anfield on a twelve month loan, to be followed by a permananent move should all go well. The player is currently injured with a cruciate knee ligament injury he received in May, hence the caution by Liverpool in starting the deal with a one-year loan.
The two clubs will now be ensuring the terms of the deal are satisfactory to all, ensuring nothing is lost in translation, and Gonzales is desperate for the move to go ahead. He said: "Until everything is signed I don’t want to get too excited, but it’s a dream move. I knew Liverpool were interested in me but after the injury I thought everything had changed."
Gonzales certainly sounds like a player that’s desperate to play for a big team: "To go from being injured at a second division Spanish side to the European champions is like winning the lottery. Negotiations are very advanced and I know if I go there on loan I will make the most of it. I’ll be going there for good."
Despite all of the news on new players that Liverpool are set to sign, the press continue to look for the negatives. Many papers are taking a story that originated in the Spanish press which claimed Steven Gerrard was tempted by a move to Spain and adding their own twist. Various fees and player exchanges are reported, and this will continue until Gerrard signs a new deal. Gerrard was with ex-Red Michael Owen yesterday at the wedding of Jamie Carragher. Also attending were Dietmar Hamann and another ex-Red – Charlton’s Danny Murphy.