Brendan Rodgers wants Liverpool players competing for places

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has claimed that he is searching for new players who will compete for places in his team.

The Northern Irishman, who led the Reds to a seventh-placed finish in his first season in charge, has admitted that competition within the squad is lacking.

"I want to have people who might be disappointed because they're not even on the bench," Rodgers told the club's official website. "At the minute we probably don't have that so it's competition we want to get.

"I don't want a massive group, we want a tight group with a real core of 17 or 18 players who feel they should always be playing and then supported by a few of our top young talents."

Rodgers is close to completing the signing of Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo.