Micah Richards
Micah Richards Reuters

Liverpool are plotting a move for Micah Richards in the summer, according to the Daily Mail.

The Manchester City right-back has fallen out of favour with manager Manuel Pellegrini and has been tipped to move out of the club in the summer. The defender has rejected a new five-year contract in his bid for first team football and is expected to be sold for £8m with only 12 months left in his contract.

The England international has made only 12 starts this season for the Citizens and is willing to try his luck elsewhere in order to gain more game time. Brendan Rodgers is a huge fan of the player and appreciates his ability to slot in at central defence if need be. The former Swansea manager had tried a loan move last January but City refused to strengthen their title rivals.

Meanwhile, City are likely to replace Richards with Arsenal contract rebel Bacary Sagna, who will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Rodgers has taken Liverpool to an all-new level this season and the team have made their European dreams a reality after confirming their progress into the Champions League for the next season.

The Liverpool manager insisted in an interview that they will have to invest a lot in the summer to strengthen their squad and prepare for European action; failure to do so will have a detrimental effect on their campaign.

"For us, going forward, a sense of the future, we know we have to strengthen our squad," Rodgers told Sky Sports News.

"We're in the Champions League next year, which will be great. But we want to be in every competition and challenging on all fronts - that clearly means that we have to strengthen the depth of our squad."

The Reds are currently short in midfield which needs a major infusion of money in the summer to replenish, while their full-back positions are also in dire need of reinforcements.