Liverpool Set to Complete £20m Move for Swansea City's Wilfried Bony

Liverpool are close to completing a £20m deal for Tottenham target Wilfried Bony from Swansea City, according to the Express.

Brendan Rodgers, who has been given the entire Luis Suarez bounty to spend on transfers, has earmarked the Ivory Coast striker as the man to fill in the large boots left by the Uruguayan.

The Northern Irishman has already made three signings this summer, with Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Emre Can arriving at Anfield. However, he is not done and is looking at bringing a few more new faces to build a squad capable of challenging on all fronts, especially since their return to the Champions League.

Bony joined Swansea last summer from Dutch club Vitesse and enjoyed a prolific season for his new club. He racked up 16 goals and provided four assists in the 34 games he played in the league. This form has seen him attract interest from top Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Tottenham.

The 25-year-old striker is said to have a £20m release clause in his contract and Rodgers is willing to meet that and bring the player to Merseyside.

However, Liverpool will face competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are also interested in acquiring the striker's services.

Meanwhile, according to the Telegraph, the Reds are poised to complete the £20m signing of Benfica winger Lazar Markovic, who is set to have a medical with the club on Monday.

It is claimed that the Serbian forward's move, which was supposed to have been completed last week, was delayed due to some last-minute trouble with the paperwork.

Belgian Starlet Divock Origi has also been heavily linked with a switch to Liverpool from his current employers Lille.

Rodgers has been the busiest manager this transfer season and has now gone into overdrive to bring in more new faces to cover the loss of Suarez before the start of the domestic season.