Liverpool's hopes of signing Vitesse Arnhem star Wilfried Bony have encountered a set-back. The player's agent revealed the Reds were interested in landing the free scoring striker, but are set to lose out to Brendan Rodgers' former club, Swansea City.

Wilfried Bony
Reuters

The 24-year-old was in prolific form for the Dutch side last season and was the top scorer in the Eredivisie with 31 goals. Rodgers had set his sights on Bony and was keen to bring the Ivory Coast international to Anfield this summer.

Bony's representative Francis Kacou also confirmed interest from Liverpool's derby rivals Everton and West Ham United. But he admitted that Swansea had come up with the best offer.

"West Ham, Everton and Liverpool have been reported as having an interest, but Swansea has made the best offer. I want clarity, and a promise is a promise," the Mirror quoted Kacou as saying.

Swansea and Vitesse have yet to agree on the player's move to the Liberty Stadium. The striker's agent revealed the Dutch club are now looking for a higher fee. However, Kacou confirmed that Bony will leave his current employers this summer.

"One thing is for sure, he will not be playing for Vitesse this season. Why does it take so long? Six months ago, we made arrangements for a lump sum of €12 million, regardless of goals," he added.

"Swansea wanted to pay and Bony has seen that, but Vitesse wanted more. Now there is an offer of €14m, plus two million in bonuses. Why is Bony still in Arnhem? We do not know what they want," Bony's agent concluded.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's head of performance Glen Driscoll believes Daniel Sturridge is on target to be fit for the 2013/14 season. The former Chelsea player picked up an ankle injury during England's 1-1 friendly draw against the Republic of Ireland in May and was expected to miss the early part of the new season.

"Sturridge is the only player in the squad not training at the moment but he's progressing really well and he's still on target to make the start of the season," Driscoll told the club's official website.