Liverpool Transfer News: Reds Must Seal the Deal with Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge

Liverpool has emerged as the frontrunner to land Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge, and they need to seal the deal in order to bolster their attack and compete for a Champions League spot in the Premier League.

According to a report on Goal.com by Greg Stobart, Liverpool is head and shoulders above Tottenham in the running for the English youngster. He put the news on Twitter early Saturday. 

Liverpool leading race for Chelsea star Sturridge #CFC #LFC --> goal.com/en-gb/news/289…

— Greg Stobart (@gstobart) July 7, 2012

The 22-year-old Sturridge fell out of favor at Stamford Bridge last season under Chelsea's new manager Roberto Di Matteo, and it doesn't look like he'll be getting any more playing time than last season with the arrival of prized forward Eden Hazard. 

Playing in Anfield will give Sturridge the ability to feel like he's greatly needed and not at all expendable, while still having arguably as good of a chance to win. 

The £10 million bid that Liverpool has reportedly offered would be a surprisingly low number for Sturridge to go for, considering his high potential and skill. Even if the number soars up a bit, don't expect Liverpool to back out.

The Reds have struggled to replace a roster that quickly became damaged with the losses of Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Dirk Kuyt in recent years. But they got their young star to build on with the acquisition of quick Uruguay star striker Luis Suarez, and he can't do it alone in a menacing Premier League.

Andy Carroll looked to be a promising addition—and he is—but he's far from skilled enough to be relied on as heavily as he had to be last season. He'd be best coming off the bench, or at least playing a lesser role. 

Bringing in Sturridge would allow for the integration of a perennial starter up front and would suddenly make Liverpool (who was a bit too slow when Carroll logged significant minutes) a very speedy team. A Suarez-Sturridge combination could be a one-two punch that excels in the Premier League and puts them both on the map as true stars.

At just 22 years of age, Liverpool would certainly get younger and would help alleviate the transition out of the game for legend Steven Gerrard—considering Sturridge remains a Red for a long time.

Perhaps the biggest win for Liverpool if they were to land Sturridge is that they'd effectively keep him away from one of their biggest rivals. Tottenham is reportedly the second team in the hunt right behind 'Pool, and these two clubs will likely be fighting with Chelsea and Arsenal for the last two spots in the Champions League behind apparent studs Manchester City and United. 

It wasn't long ago that Liverpool were dominant forces in the EPL (second place finish in 2009), and the acquisition of Sturridge would only speed up the process of greatness returning to Anfield.