Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini would be interested in a move for Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano if Liverpool finish outside the top four this season and are forced to sell their top assets.
Financial concerns already haunt Liverpool and a failure to make the Champions League next season may have their top players looking for moves.
Mascherano was close to signing for Barcelona in the summer.
Mancini is quoted in the Sun as saying: “If they put Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres on the market, City will be interested.
“We at City will do everything possible to prevent Liverpool from finishing fourth.”
The cost of signing Gerrard and Torres would easily top £100m but Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi based owners would have no problem meeting any demand Liverpool might make.
And before then, Mancini will dip in to the transfer market in January to bolster his defensive options.
“In defence I have so many out injured that there will be some coming and the same in midfield. In attack we don’t have problems,” he said.
Should City break into the Champions League their ability to attract star names would increase, with Mancini’s former players Maicon and Zlatan Ibrahimovic coveted by the Italian.
“If City finish in the top four we will look for players of the highest level,” he said. “I would like to have Maicon. With Ibra there’s always been a rapport of great loyalty.
“He’s world class. Which manager in the world wouldn’t like Ibrahimovic?
“City is the best club in the world for an ambitious manager.
“There are very, very good players there but we must improve as it won’t be easy to get to the top four.”