Liverpool fans surprisingly upbeat over prospect of signing Salomon Rondon

Liverpool supporters demanding that part of the £142m (€160m) recouped from the sale of Philippe Coutinho be spent on a new attacking presence may finally have their wish – but it could just turn out to be their worst nightmare

The Sun understands the Reds and Merseyside rivals Everton are considering a move for West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon.

As Manchester United rejoice in the addition of Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea hunt down Edin Dzeko and Arsenal attempt to lure Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to north London, Liverpool and Everton are scrapping over a striker with three Premier League goals this season.

Not that Rondon that add a physical presence to a Liverpool attack which – if it can be accused of any shortcoming – lacks a focal point, but the Venezuela international's goal return leaves much to be desired.

The former Malaga and Rubin Kazan hitman hit the headlines over the weekend after he was involved in the challenge which led to James McCarthy suffering a season-ending leg break in the 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday (21 January). The 6ft 1in player was shaken to tears such was the severity of the injury.

Rondon only has 18 months to run on his current West Brom deal and though the 28-year-old is content with life at The Hawthorns, the Baggies are conscious they must sell now to recoup any of the £12m they paid Zenit St Petersburg for him in 2015.

WBA will reportedly consider offers of around £15m for Rondon, though it is unclear whether Liverpool and Everton's interest is with a view to the deal being completed in the final week of the January transfer window or in the summer, when the forward's contract enters the last 12 months.

Twitter has naturally acted as a smorgasbord of opinion regarding the possible move but amid the posturing and trolling, there are several endorsements of Rondon that will encourage Jurgen Klopp.

'The Urban Pensioner' wrote: "Rondon is a good option, an outlet for long balls to counter high pressing, better than negative square passes. I can see him performing well with the Holy Trinity feeding him, and vice versa."

Maxi, a Liverpool fan who also features on Italian Football Daily and 90min.com, also praised the potential move. "Rondón would low key be a good signing for Liverpool," he explained. "A strong target player capable of locking heads in the box. Could become extremely valuable and useful to feed crosses when opposition defenses are sitting low and LFC struggle to break through lines. Need a midfielder though.

Ash, a Liverpool follower from Yorkshire, added: "Rondon is actually a decent player. Good in the air and good with the ball at his feet, he's more Mobile than both Benteke and Carroll."

Crystal Palace's Christian Benteke and West Ham United's Andy Carroll – formally of the Anfield parish – have both recently been linked with moves to Chelsea during January, much to the delight of rival fans across the country given their recent fitness and form.

Some fans were less than enthused however at the prospect of Rondon linking up with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in the Liverpool attack.

Declan Conroy stated: "West Brom fans think he's useless and not good enough for them. Says it all about him. He scores about 3 goals a season. He's lazy and just plain crap. Christ signing Rondon would make the Andy Carroll signing look like a great bit of business."

Links with Rondon have been followed by reports that West Brom are interested in bringing Liverpool castoff Lazar Markovic to the Midlands.

Owen Fanning believes that move could trigger a swap deal, but he wants slightly more for the winger than West Brom are likely to pay. "£65m plus Rondon and not a penny lower," he wrote, tongue in cheek.

No news yet on whether Chelsea have submitted an offer.