According to the Sunday PeopleLiverpool boss Roy Hodgson is keen to sign Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross during the January transfer window. Hodgson is understood to have made signing a promising young defender a priority, but a £10 million valuation could prove to be a stumbling block, given Liverpool's current off-field problems under Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Liverpool could also face competition from Manchester United, who have a 'buy back' agreement with Stoke after selling the defender to the Potters in January 2008.
