Damien Comolli has confirmed Liverpool are interested in Luis Suarez and Ashley Young - but insists deals are not close to being done.
The Reds are understood to have been in contact with Ajax regarding their Uruguay international, but the two sides' valuation of the striker remain some way apart.
And whilst revealing their interest, Comolli insists they are not in talks with the Dutch club.
"We are looking primarily for an attacking player with pace because the team is short on pace," he told Canal+Sport. "And as far as Suarez is concerned, at the moment there is no dialogue with Ajax.
"He is one of the players we are interested in. Will he be available in January? This is another story."
He also confirmed their liking for Young, who has been strongly linked with Manchester United and Tottenham too, but admitted it was unlikely the England international would be sold by Aston Villa this month.
"For Young, if he is on the market then we will be interested. But I don't believe that is the case," he stated.
Comolli also played down suggestions that Liverpool is a club in crisis.
"There is no crisis. I can see things from inside and I don't have this feeling. It is all a problem of confidence," he said.
"There were quite a few injured players, players who came back from the World Cup worn out, and this was the main cause of our bad results.
"[Fernando] Torres and [Steven] Gerrard are exactly at the same physical level as they were in the year in which they finished second [in the 2008/09 season]."
