3. Joe Allen (Swansea City)
It might not be this summer, given Rodgers' deal not to take any of Swansea's players to Liverpool as an act of goodwill, but the former Swansea manager will almost certainly look to bring Welsh playmaker Allen into Anfield at the earliest opportunity, and take advantage of his phenomenal passing rate that saw him high on the list of passers in Europe last term. The 22-year-old put in some eye-catching performances for the Welsh club last season, and has today been linked with both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur just a day after
he was announced as a member of Stuart Pearce's Olympic squad. Spurs see him as the ideal replacement for Luka Modric, who may still choose to leave the club despite the appointment of AVB, but Liverpool have a long-running interest in the Welsh midfielder, having watched him from Kenny Dalglish's time in charge. A fee of between £10m and £12m might appear expensive, but Allen is a prodigious talent, and will be courted by many more teams than just Spurs and Liverpool if he becomes available - and gentleman's agreement or not, the 22-year-old is exactly the kind of player that Liverpool should be building their midfield around, and would be able to count on him for the next ten years provided things go well.