 LIVERPOOL are set to hijack Everton's swoop for Mali midfielder Mohammed Sissoko. And in a crushing double blow for the Blues, Craig Bellamy has agreed to sign for Blackburn. The Reds made an offer for Sissoko last night, after boss Rafa Benitez was alerted by Everton's interest in a player he had under his wing at Valencia. And the Blues fear that they could now miss out. They also look set to miss out on Bellamy, who has agreed a flexible one-year deal with Blackburn - which allows him a getout clause if he is not happy with Rovers' progress at the end of the season. Given the terms of the transfer, the Blues may not be too disappointed to miss out on the striker. But boss David Moyes will be devastated to lose Sissoko to the Reds. The Blues thought they had a 5m euro deal wrapped up early this week. But Liverpool's interest has caused the player and his club to think again. Everton still hope they can persuade both Sissoko and Italian left-back Emiliano Moretti to move to Goodison. But they will now have to rely on Moyes persuading the player that his opportunities for first team football would be much greater at Goodison than Anfield. Benitez brought Sissoko to Spain from Auxerre as a teenager, paying a 1m euro compensation fee. And he has tracked his progress since he became Liverpool boss last summer. A highly versatile performer who has played up front for Mali and right-back much of last season, Sissoko is rated as one of the most promising midfield talents in Europe and is still only 20. Austrian international Rene Aufhauser, meanwhile, will train with the Blues this week during their training camp in Styria. Moyes admitted he wants to add several more faces to his first team squad, but is not frustrated yet that only two new signings have arrived. And he compared the situation to last summer, when the club was torn apart by boardroom unrest and the high profile departures of Wayne Rooney and Tomasz Radzinski. "We are not as equipped as I would want to be at this present time," he admitted "but we are certainly in better shape than this time last year. "We have a lot more to look forward to, but if we get the same results as last year I'll settle for it." | 
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