Soccer: Director of football strategy Damien Comolli insists Liverpool's disappointing season has not deterred a "number of top players" from wanting to join.
The Reds are yet to make a signing in the current window, having tracked Ajax's Luis Suarez among others, but Comolli said that was not for lack of interest despite the club languishing in 13th in the Premier League.
His job, along with manager Kenny Dalglish, is to assess which targets represent the best value in an inflated market and are likely to contribute to long-term success.
"I am surprised in a way, given our results, the number of top level players who want to join us," the Frenchman told Canal+ Sport. "They say that Liverpool is an attractive club and most are also telling me that 'You've had a bad season, but you won't have two'."
The 38-year-old, who formerly worked at Tottenham and Arsenal, also praised Liverpool's American owners for providing the financial backing to improve the squad.
Finding support for striker Fernando Torres is a priority for Liverpool and Comolli admitted they did consider Sunderland's Darren Bent before his €21 million-plus transfer to Aston Villa but decided he was not the right fit.
"We thought of him, but we looked at his profile and thought that he would not be very complementary to Fernando Torres," he added. "He is a player who is, as the English say, a lone wolf. He needs to play alone in attack."
Comolli also welcomed the financial backing of club owners Fenway Sports Group.
"There is no more debt. The owners are willing to invest, there is plenty of money," he said. "When I first got here, the first question I asked was 'Do I have to lower the payroll?' They said, 'No, the important thing is to win.' It was a great relief for me."
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