Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Mascherano Set To Leave Liverpool After Talks

Javier Mascherano has been told he can leave Liverpool, according to ESPNsoccernet sources, having held talks with the Liverpool hierarchy on Monday.

Mascherano, who captained Argentina at the World Cup, spoke with manager Roy Hodgson after returning from holiday, having previously ignored the new manager's attempts to contact him.

A source close to Mascherano told Soccernet: "The talks were extremely amicable. It was all done in a very nice way. Javier made it clear that he wanted to leave a year ago when he had the chance to go to Barcelona.

"He was asked to stay on for one more year, he agreed, so now it is time for him to go. It was all very pleasant and it is now a question of the two clubs who are interested in him making an acceptable offer to Liverpool."

Hodgson held talks with skipper Steven Gerrard and convinced him to stay, but has failed to convince Mascherano, who now looks likely to rejoin former manager Rafael Benitez at Inter Milan or seal a move to Spanish champions Barcelona, who are looking to replace Yaya Toure after admitting defeat over Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas.

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