Liverpool Transfer Rumour: Reds Agree Deal for Second Spanish Signing

Liverpool have agreed a £6.8m deal with Sevilla to sign forward Luis Alberto, according to the Daily Mail. The report states that the 20-year-old will travel to Anfield on Friday to have a medical and a transfer is likely to be completed over the next few days.

The Spaniard was on loan to Barcelona B last season where he performed well, scoring 11 times from 23 appearances in the country's lower divisions. However, the Catalans have a number of attacking options at present and passed up the chance to sign Alberto a long-term deal.

Alberto's Andalusian parent club is understood to want to hold on to their player but financial problems have forced them to accept the Reds' bid. Alberto is the second Spaniard likely to join Brendan Rodgers at Anfield, following news from the Guardian that a £7.6m deal for Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas has been agreed.

However, Aspas' proposed move to Merseyside has stalled over the past week, the Spanish Football Federation blocking the move over contractual irregularities. The Mirror believes the youngster will pay £4m from his own pocket to force the move.

Rodgers has been quoted as wanting to complete his summer's transfer activities as soon as possible but the Northern Irishman has been frustrated so far, with only Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure a confirmed acquisition.

Liverpool were linked with a £23m move for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and a deal was believed to be close to completion but, once again, contractual issues have complicated matters. The Mirror believes new information has revealed that a portion of Mkhitaryan's playing rights are held by a third-party investor, who must also agree to the transfer.

Meanwhile, Luis Suarez's Liverpool future continues to be unclear. The 26-year-old Uruguayan is presently with his national team in Brazil, preparing for a FIFA Confederations Cup group stage match against Tahiti.

The former Ajax striker has confirmed a desire to leave Anfield for Real Madrid but his requests have, so far, fallen on deaf ears. Former Liverpool player John Barnes has called on the club to persuade him to stay if possible... and accept the inevitable if they cannot.

"I'd love for Suarez to stay, I think he's a fantastic player, but if he decides he wants to go, then that's part of football. What I always say, the club is the most important thing. If Luiz Suarez doesn't want to be at Liverpool, Liverpool will still survive. They've survived from Ian Rush [leaving], people before and people after," Barnes said.