LIVERPOOL are ready to pave the way for the summer sale of Stan Collymore by signing Poland's most accomplished young forward, Marek Citko. To that end, Roy Evans, the Liverpool manager, will attend tonight's World Cup qualifying fixture between Italy and Poland in Naples.

Evans has been patiently pursuing the gifted 23-year-old for more than three months, ever since he rejected the opportunity to join Blackburn Rovers after a public dispute over wages. Evans believes he is now just one round of talks away from signing Citko from Widzew Lodz for a fee of £2.5 million.

Once the deal has been ratified, Liverpool will definitely sanction the departure of Collymore, most probably to Aston Villa. Villa manager Brian Little is believed willing to pay around £7.5 million for Collymore.