Liverpool Transfer News: Demba Ba £7 Million Bid?

By Matt Holmes / July 3, 2012

The Mirror. Rodgers has become frustrated with the price of strikers across Europe and believes the potential capture of Ba at a knockdown price is simply too good to pass up on. Ironically, Newcastle signed Ba as the first replacement for Andy Carroll who left Newcastle in January 2010 for a £35 million move to Anfield, and now Rodgers is interested in the prospect of the two forming a partnership. Newcastle's top scorer last season has a clause in his contract that says he is available to any club who offers £7 million for him before July 31st. Turkish clubs Fenerbache and Galatasaray are both believed to have already taken that option and Ba has spoken to both clubs, but has already turned down Galatasaray as they didn't meet his wage demands. Chelsea are also thought to be interested in activating the 27-year-old's release clause as a quick replacement for the departed Didier Drogba, as are Tottenham Hotspur, though that was under former boss Harry Redknapp who was a keen admirer of Ba and it's unknown what new boss Andre Villas-Boas thinks of him. Manchester United were also reported over the weekend to have interest in a double swoop for Cabaye and Ba. Ba is likely to play the waiting game and consider all clubs who are interested before deciding upon his future. Ba was a revelation in the first half of last season for the Toon, scoring 15 goals before heading off to the African Cup of Nations with Senegal in January. He only scored one solitary goal on his return and struggled to hit form with the arrival of his international team-mate Papiss Cisse. He has two years left to run on his Newcastle contract and would consider staying on Tyneside and signing an extension but Mike Ashley and manager Alan Pardew are not willing to match Ba's desire for more than £50,000 per week wages. We actually ran down 6 Reasons Why Demba Ba Will Leave Newcastle United a few weeks ago which detailed all these reasons.