Liverpool sign Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge on long-term deal

Daniel Sturridge says he wants to stay at Liverpool for a "long time" after completing his move from Chelsea.



The 23-year-old became the Reds first signing of the January transfer window after penning a long-term contract at Melwood today.



He told Liverpoolfc.com: "I am humbled and happy to be here."



"Brendan Rodgers said he sees me here for a long time - and I also see myself here for a long time. I've not signed here to play for a couple of years and then move on.



"I've signed to be here for as long as possible. It's a humongous club - for me, one of the biggest in the world - and to have the fans and world-class players we have here is amazing."



Liverpool is Sturridge's third club, having begun his career at Manchester City, where he finished top-scorer as City lifted the FA Youth Cup in 2008.



He left the following year to join Chelsea. He had a loan spell at Bolton, before returning to Stamford Bridge, where he has been in and out of the team ever since.



Having scored 21 goals in 34 appearances for England at youth level, Fabio Capello handed him a senior bow in a friendly against Sweden in November 2011.



He has collected three more caps since and last summer scored twice for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.



10 facts about Daniel Sturridge

1. Daniel Sturridge was born in Birmingham in 1989 and before moving to Manchester City's youth set-up in 2003, he spent time at Aston Villa and Coventry.



2. Sturridge comes from a footballing background. He is the nephew of former Derby and Wolves striker Dean Sturridge.



3. In the 2007-08 season, Sturridge became the only player ever to score in the Youth FA Cup, the FA Cup and the Premier League in the same season.



4. He finished the 2009-10 FA Cup campaign as Chelsea's leading scorer with four goals as Carlo Ancelotti's side completed winning the double by beating Portsmouth 1-0 at Wembley.



5. In January 2011 he went out on loan to Bolton and when he netted against Wolves, Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle in succession, he became only the sixth player to score in his first four games for a club in the Premier League.



6. Sturridge can play either as a striker or out wide. In March 2012, he told Sky Sports: "Fitness-wise, it helps you so much playing on the wing as it's a completely different job - you do a lot more runs than you do up front. Thierry Henry played wide for Juventus and then went to Arsenal and played as a centre-forward."



7. In his first appearance of the 2011-12 campaign, Sturridge scored with a memorable back-heel in the 50th minute against Sunderland.



8. Sturridge has represented England at every level from U16 to U21 and full international. He netted in the final of the 2010 European U17 Championship against Italy.



9. The 22-year-old has Premier League, Champions League and two FA Cup winners' medals to his name.



10. Sturridge was named in Stuart Pearce's 18-man squad for the Great Britain Olympic football team to compete at the London 2012 Olympics this summer and the forward netted twice for Team GB including the match-winning goal against Uruguay.

Saturday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge is expected to have a medical at Liverpool on Sunday, Sky sources understand.



- Newcastle striker Demba Ba has rejected an £80,000-a week offer from Premier League strugglers QPR.



- Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski has agreed "in principle" to join Manchester United next year, according to Goal.com.



- Barcelona forward David Villa is of interest to Arsenal and Chelsea, according to the Daily Star.



- Arsenal are ready to join Liverpool in the race to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan, according to Mercato365.



- Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has warned potential transfer targets he will not be held to ransom over wages and fees.



- Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Willian has again called for Chelsea to launch a bid for him, telling ESPN Brasil he wanted to move to Stamford Bridge during the summer.



- Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez has admitted he is unsure whether striker Daniel Sturridge will stay at the club next year as talk of a £12milliom move to Liverpool continues.



- Lille coach Rudi Garcia has played down speculation linking striker Salomon Kalou with a January move away from the club.



- West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald admits the club are interested in signing Nicolas Anelka.



- Sunderland and Fulham are leading the chase to sign Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto according to reports in Spain.



- Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has admitted Demba Ba could leave the club next month.



- Queens Park Rangers are set to swoop for £7.5million French midfield star Yann M’Vila.



- Manchester United are interested in signing Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay, according to The Sun.



- Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to return 'home' to Old Trafford to see his talent fully appreciated.



- But Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson does not believe Cristiano Ronaldo will ever make a return to Old Trafford.



- Marseille striker Loic Remy, who has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham, may not be sold next month, according to club president Vincent Labrune.



- Pachuca midfielder Hector Herrera, who has been linked with Liverpool and Manchester United, has emerged as a target for Porto.



- Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho does not expect to sell Kaka in the January transfer window.



- Paris St Germain winger Nene says it would be a 'great honour' to play alongside Neymar at Santos as he prepares to leave the French club in January.



- AC Milan claim they are lining up a £20million bid to sign striker Mario Balotelli in next month’s transfer window.



- The wife of Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder has backtracked on comments that her husband will leave the San Siro in January.



- Reported Premier League target Benat Etxeberria says he is leaving his future in the hands of his agents amid speculation linking him with a move away from Real Betis.



- Barcelona reached an agreement with Santos last season in order to sign Neymar. Sandro Rosell travelled to Brazil in person to put a stop to the imminent signing of the player by Real Madrid. The Barcelona president managed to tie down Neymar.



- Juventus CEO Beppe Marotta has revealed that the Serie A club have made no approach to Didier Drogba with regards to signing the player in January.



- Corinthians president Mario Gobbi has confirmed the Brazilian club are trying to sign striker Alexandre Pato from AC Milan in January and he has no intention of letting key players such as Paulinho and Paulo Guerrero leave in January despite reported interest from the Premier League.



- Australian youngster Terry Antonis has committed his future to Sydney FC despite rumours he could be joining Fulham.



- Lille defender Mathieu Debuchy is not ruling out a January move to Newcastle if it suits all parties but says it is more likely he will remain at the Ligue 1 club until the end of the season.

Sturridge is set for a move to Liverpool

Liverpool remain confident of sealing a deal for Daniel Sturridge despite a late hitch leading to the striker's proposed medical today being cancelled.



Sturridge was due on Merseyside to undergo tests and put the finishing touches on a £12m move from Chelsea which would allow him to officially sign when the transfer window reopens on January 1.

However, a late snag thought to be between the player's representatives and Liverpool means the medical has now been called off.

Liverpool have already agreed a fee with Chelsea for the England forward and Sturridge is eager to move to Anfield and kick start his career after finding himself marooned on the periphery at Stamford Bridge.

That will leave manager Brendan Rodgers confident over overcoming the problem, but the present impasse shows Liverpool are willing to play hardball.



Rodgers is also close to a £4m deal for Blackpool's Tom Ince who will return to Liverpool just 18 months after leaving the club when he failed to agree terms on a contract.


-->

Sturridge 'Reds demands' denial

Daniel Sturridge's representatives deny he has "demanded" £80,000 a week and a guaranteed role as a striker to leave Chelsea for Liverpool.

The Reds are said to be looking to sign the 23-year-old England international next month, having reportedly failed to do so during the last transfer window.Reports have suggested Sturridge would only move if certain conditions were met.But his representatives, Octagon, released a statement which read: "Daniel Sturridge does not conduct his business in public."He also does not make demands in any negotiation, with regards to salary or his playing position. Any contract between a club and a player has to be based on mutual agreement."Sturridge has spent much of his career for both club and country in a wide attacking role and has made no secret of his desire to play more centrally.At present, he and the misfiring Fernando Torres are Chelsea's only recognised centre-forwards.



However, Sturridge (hamstring) has been out injured for the past two and a half weeks and did not train with the senior group on Tuesday morning ahead of the Blues' Champions League game with Nordsjaelland.



Captain John Terry (knee) also missed the session but Frank Lampard (calf) did train. Interim manager Rafael Benitez has already suggested neither would be involved on Wednesday.