Liverpool's £5m January target who could be a big hit in EPL

Confirmation that Fabio Borini will be sidelined for at least three months with a broken foot has placed greater emphasis on Brendan Rodgers' search to find a new striker.

Rodgers is expected to dip into the Janaury market for at least one new forward to help Luis Suarez improve Liverpool's mediocre goal tally next year, and one player who could fit the bill is Schalke's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Here, we explain why the Dutch international would prove a big hit at Anfield…

Huntelaar and Suarez scored 82 goals in 60 games at Ajax

Huntelaar linked up formidably with Suarez at Ajax in 2007/08 and again until December 2008, when he was sold to Real Madrid.

They totalled a remarkable 82 goals in 60 games together in all competitions, eventually earning transfers to more competitive European leagues. A combined tally of 50 Eredivisie goals was more than half of what Ajax managed as a team in 2007/08, while Huntelaar's 33 goal haul almost doubled that of Suarez's 17.

There is even more evidence to suggest that Huntelaar would not just link up well with his former Uruguyan buddy, but also score more goals than him, too.

While Suarez's Premier League goal return hasn't been quite so impressive at Liverpool, Huntelaar bagged 29 Bundesliga goals in 32 games for Schalke last season - seven more than Man United target Robert Lewandowski managed for champions Dortmund, who finished 15 points ahead of Schalke.

At Real Madrid, Huntelaar still managed eight goals in 20 La Liga appearances, despite seven of those coming as a substitute, while clueless former Milan boss Leonardo (now without a job) never gave him a chance at the San Siro.

At Liverpool, with the promise of first team action and support from his former team-mate, Huntelaar is likely to floruish.

He's available for around £5m

With the Dutchman out of contract at the end of the season, he'll be free to negotiate with potential suitors in January for as little as £5m, suiting Liverpool's tight financial constraints.

The German club's general manager, Horst Heldt admitted the chances of him renewing his current deal are slim, claiming the situation is "one of the biggest problems at the club," and he is ready to sell in January to avoid losing his man for nothing in the summer.

Huntelaar's agent, Arnold Oostervee poured cold water over claims the Dutchman was set to join Liverpool in August 2012, but Schalke were banking on having the striker tied up to a new deal by now.

Huntelaar is a better goalscorer than Robin van Persie

If the availability of a world class goalscorer for £5m wasn't enough to whet Liverpool's appetite for business, they need only look at Huntelaar's strike rate compared to Dutch international team-mate Robin van Persie, widely considered the most deadly forward in England at present.

Van Persie has scored a respectable 30 goals in 70 appearances for the Netherlands, four fewer than Huntelaar has managed in just 59 internationals.

Last season, when English pundits were purring over van Persie bagging 37 goals in 48 games for Arsenal, Huntelaar was busy racking up a total of 48 goals in 47 games at Schalke, including 10 goals in 10 Europa League games, averaging more goals per game than Radamel Falcao in the same competition.

His style in suited to English football

Huntelaar's close range goalscoring instincts would make him a big hit in the Premier League, where the best strikers are seperated by speed of thought and precise finishing.

The 29 year-old's big frame and strength suggest the physical nature of English football wouldn't be a problem, either.

Brendan Rodgers prefers to play with a front three, which would see Huntelaar occupying the more advanced central role that he filled alongside Suarez at Ajax, with the Uruguayan and Raheem Sterling close by on either side.

The nature of Huntelaar's 48 goals for Schalke in 2011/12 (below) suggest he also has what it takes to become Liverpool's most predatory forward since Robbie Fowler:



Source: talkSport