Serie A has taken a bit of a kicking in recent years, becoming the unofficial retirement home for ageing stars struggling to cope with the pace and intensity of Europe’s other leading top flights but still too young to make the jump across the pond to the MLS.

Yet it could be amid a mini-revival; after all, two Italian sides made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League this season, whilst reigning champions Juventus are set to face Barcelona in the Champions League final this Saturday.

Its still a long way from being the footballing powerhouse that dominated the 1990s, but there’s certainly still plenty of talent on offer in Serie A.

So much so, in fact, that Premier League outfit Liverpool appear to be targeting several prominent talents from Italian league ahead of the summer transfer window.

So in an effort to keep you in the know on all things Anfield and Serie A this summer, we’ve listed the FIVE Serie A stars reportedly on Liverpool’s transfer radar.

Jeremy Menez

Jeremy Menez signed for AC Milan only last summer but there’s already talk of him leaving fllowing a sensational debut campaign at the San Siro – with Mirror Football claiming he could be on his way to Anfield.

The 28 year-old bagged 16 goals and four assists in 33 Serie A appearances, whilst averaging 1.4 created chances and 2.2 successful dribbles per match.

The France international has come close to joining the Premier League before; Arsenal and Manchester United both tried to sign Menez prior to his senior debut for Sochaux in 2004, with the latter club even accused of attempting to tap him up.

The attacking midfielder never quite proved his worth at Monaco, Roma or PSG, but he appears to have finally come of age, as the standout star in a Milan side who finished tenth in the Italian table.

Brendan Rodgers likes his ‘multipurpose signings’ and the 5 foot 11 attacker, capable of playing anywhere across the front line or the attacking midfield berth, firmly falls into that category.

The Metro claimed last month at Liverpool had made a formal approach for Menez, but they failed to reveal a potential transfer fee.

ARTURO VIDAL

MLS-bound skipper Steven Gerrard is set to leave an almighty void in Liverpool’s engine room this summer that will require a top class talent to fill.

Enter Juventus star Arturo Vidal, who has emerged as one of the most complete central midfielders in world football since joining the Old Lady in summer 2011, this season claiming seven goals and four assists in 33 Serie A appearances whilst averaging 3.1 tackles per match.

In that time, the Chile international claimed four consecutive Serie A titles with the Turin outfit and is now preparing to face Barcelona in the Champions League final next Saturday.

With his contract set to expire in 2017 and now 28 years of age, recent reports claim Juve will look to cash in on Vidal this summer – despite his world-class credentials – providing a club meets their £28million valuation – as reported by The Express.

They also moot Liverpool as potential suitors, along with Arsenal and Manchester United. But Arsene Wenger has already sought to dismiss such rumours, whilst the Red Devils’ apparent interest stems from their attempts to sign the former Bayer Leverkusen star last summer.

CARLOS TEVEZ

Another Juventus star on the Anfield radar, according to The Daily Star, is former Manchester United and Manchester City front-man Carlos Tevez.

The Argentina international has a knack of rubbing his team-mates, coaches and managers up the wrong way, and at 31 years of age he doesn’t offer much in the way of longevity.

But Tevez’ credentials in the Premier League remain undoubted, boasting three domestic titles, the 2008 Champions League title and 84 goals in 202 appearances throughout his seven campaigns in the English top flight.

A nomadic attacker blessed with similar technical trickery and relentless tenacity, he could be the replacement for Luis Suarez Liverpool failed to find in the transfer market last summer.

With just a year remaining on his current contract, Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta has admitted they could be forced to sell the South American this summer.

Liverpool are believed to be heading the race for his signature, but a move to the MLS is also a distinct possibility.

NOBERTO NETO

According to recent reports reports from The Daily Mail, Liverpool have been running the rule over Fiorentina’s Noberto Neto for some time – viewing him as a goalkeeper who can truly keep the hap-hazard Simon Mignolet on his toes.

The 25 year-old has emerged as one of the most consistent No.1’s in the Italian top flight since his arrival in summer 2011, this season keeping 10 clean sheets and making 55 saves in 29 league starts. Only four Serie A goal keepers claimed more shut-outs this term.

Perhaps most appealingly, the Brazilian is set to leave Viola on a free transfer this summer – as Fiorentina revealed in an official club statement during the January transfer window.

But if there’s one predominant concern, it’s Neto’s limited exposure to English, international or Champions League football – although he did reach the semi-finals of the Europa League this season.

Liverpool aren’t the only interested party, however. According to The Express, he’s also being targeted by Italian champions Juventus.

GONZALO HIGUAIN

According to reports from The Express in April, Liverpool are hoping to address the inadequacies of their strike-force this summer with an audacious swoop for Napoli front-man Gonzalo Higuain.

The 27 year-old boasts a career return of 215 goals in 453 appearances throughout his spells with River Plate, Los Blancos, Napoli and the Argentina national team, but he’s no stranger to the assists charts either, claiming eleven set-ups for Albiceleste in 47 appearances and amassing a further 15 during his last two Serie A campaigns.

Following their failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League, the Albiceleste poacher is widely expected to leave the Naples outfit in the coming transfer window.

Recent reports have rated him as highly as £42million, however, whilst The Express claimed Manchester United have made an approach to sign the 6 foot 1 striker earlier today.