Liverpool eye former Spurs defender

Reto Ziegler has been tipped for a shock return to the Barclays Premier League with Liverpool said to be in the hunt for the former Tottenham Hotspur defender.

The Sampdoria defender has been earmarked to fill Rafa Benitez's problem left-back position, according to reports in Italy, but the Reds face strong competition.

New Juventus boss Luigi Del Neri, who has just left Sampdoria for Turin, is keen to take Ziegler with him, but Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina are also said to have made contact with the player's agent.

Liverpool, with limited funds, could be priced out of the move, with Sampdoria thought to value him at about £8.5million.

The 24-year-old's reputation has burgeoned since leaving Spurs three years ago. He arrived at White Hart Lane from Grasshoppers Zurich and initially impressed under Jacques Santini and Martin Jol in his first season, walking away with a young player of the year award.

But he struggled to develop after being sent out on loan to Hamburg and after a futher indifferent spell at Wigan in 2006 he was offloaded to Italy.

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