The Reds boss, though, admits that the Brazilian star, who currently plies his trade in Serie A with A.C Milan, is simply too "high-profile" for him.
Houllier said: "Maybe we could try to buy someone like Rivaldo, but for me that is not the way forward. Don't get me wrong, Rivaldo is a fantastic player, but bringing in high-profile players is not the way I work."
"They cost a lot of money for a limited number of years and I don't like that kind of risk. The key is to bring in young, talented players and to get them to understand the culture and philosophy of Liverpool."
"That's why I want to keep the heart of this club British, with players like Michael Owen, Danny Murphy, Stevie Gerrard, Emile Heskey and Jamie Carragher."
"I don't think we need to spend a lot of money in the summer," he added. "We don't need four or five players, my plan is to bring in just one or two."
"What has happened this season has not broken the belief I have in this team. I trust my players and I have no hesitation in saying that our time will come. "I know there are areas we need to improve and sometimes this season we have lacked creativity."
"Players like Diouf, Cheyrou and Diao have taken time to settle, but that is normal with foreign players. Look at Veron at Manchester United, look at some of Arsenal's best players - they also needed time to adjust to life in England."
"I understand the fans at Arsenal were making fun of players like Henry and Wiltord at one stage because they weren't playing well. Just look at them now."
"We have had some difficult moments this season and they could have finished lesser teams, but there is a great mental strength about Liverpool."
