Valero Loving Liverpool Link

Real Mallorca midfielder Borja Valero left little doubt that he would seize the opportunity to join Liverpool in heartbeat.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez is reportedly considering making an offer for the 23-year-old midfielder, who responded by risking antagonising his own fans by proclaiming Liverpool to be the greatest club in the world.

"There's no club greater than Liverpool," Valero is quoted as saying by www.setantasports.com.

"I will stay here at Mallorca until I am told otherwise. If Liverpool are indeed interested in me then I feel very flattered by that.

"Mallorca would surely prefer to keep the squad in place that did so well last season but at the end of the day they are a selling club.

"My aim has always been to win trophies and to grow as a footballer."

The former Real Madrid prospect has been a revelation since signing for Mallorca in 2007, and the belief is that Benitez will move for him if they fail in their long-standing efforts to prise Gareth Barry away from Aston Villa.

Mallorca's sporting director Nando Pons have already indicated that they would be open to selling Valero to LIverpool should the right offer arrive.

“The club needs money but we don’t want to break up the team we had last season," he said last week.

"However, if a great offer arrives we will be forced to consider it”.

Gunners Keen On Alonso - Agent

Xabi Alonso's agent has claimed the Liverpool midfielder is aware of interest from Arsenal.

The Spaniard has seen a possible move to Juventus hit the buffers after the Italian giants signed Christian Poulsen from Sevilla.

However, reports continue to suggest that Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is prepared to sell Alonso to fund his own spending plans.

Alonso is rated in the £14million bracket and has now been linked with a move to the Reds' Premier League rivals Arsenal.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is in the market for a midfielder after losing Mathieu Flamini, while Gilberto Silva is set to join Panathinaikos.

Reports in Spain suggest contact has been made between the two clubs and the 26-year-old's agent Inaki Ibanez says the player is waiting for Liverpool's decision.

"The player knows about this subject and now the decision lies with Liverpool," Ibanez told Spanish newspaper Publico.

Alonso's sale would give Benitez the funds to sign Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry, who has also been linked with a move to Arsenal.

O'Neill Expects Reds Contact

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill expects Liverpool to come in with a new bid for Gareth Barry.

Liverpool have been frustrated in their attempts to sign Barry, with Villa reportedly looking for in the region of £18million for the England international.

Barry is set to return to pre-season training with Villa on Wednesday after being suspended for two weeks for his public outburst against O'Neill.

Speaking after Tuesday's friendly at Lincoln, O'Neill says he expects Liverpool to get back in contact regarding Barry, after Villa outlined their demands for a deal to go through.

"I haven't heard anymore," O'Neill told Sky Sports News. "We should be in communication with Liverpool, but he is coming back (to training)."

Villa have been linked with a host of players in recent weeks, including David Bentley, Brad Friedel and Stewart Downing and O'Neill admits it is imperative he adds to his squad.

"I think umpteen players have been linked with us, but definitely we would need a proper squad," added O'Neill.

"I have said it before that last season we worked with the smallest squad in the Premiership and that is the situation we want to address this year."

Rafa Benitez Wants Assurances Over Ryan Babel

Rafael Benitez will seek reassurances from Dutch officials after Ryan Babel’s Olympic call-up yesterday.

Liverpool’s 21-year-old was named in the Holland squad for the Beijing Olympics, meaning he could miss the first two games of the Premier League season.

But of more concern to Anfield manager Benitez is the forward being rushed back into competitive action after his recovery from the ankle ligament tear that ruled him out of Euro 2008. Benitez has already lost Brazilian Lucas and Argentinians Javier Mascherano, and – probably – Emiliano Insua to the Games next month.

And as Babel has battled back to fitness earlier than expected, it has allowed the Dutch to call him up to coach Foppe de Haan’s 18-man squad.

As part of their preparations for the Games, Holland will face Belgium on July 23 before flying to Hong Kong for the ING Cup.

The team will then move on to Tianjin in China, where they play their first Olympic match against Nigeria on August 7 before also facing Japan and the United States in Group B.

This schedule is galling for Benitez given the recovery program Babel has begun at Melwood last week, but he cannot stop the player going under the competition rules.

Benitez said recently: “Obviously, we are really pleased that Ryan has come back to training because he is an important player for us and he has worked hard to recover from the injury he suffered with Holland.

“But we are really worried because after getting him fit we will lose him again. This is a big problem – we prepare him and then he goes away with the national team.

“This season is very important for him. In his first season he was settling in but this time he has more experience and we are looking for him to give something from the beginning, so it is really important for him to start working with his team.”

It is likely that Babel will clash with Everton’s Victor Anichebe when their countries meet in the first group match.

Liverpool FC Confident Of Signing Gareth Barry

Liverpool remain confident of sealing the signature of Gareth Barry despite his return to pre-season training with Aston Villa today.

That is also despite Arsenal monitoring the Barry situation after the Gunners joined the race to sign the midfield ace.

Villa released a statement last night confirming their captain – who they value at £18m – would return to their Bodymoor Heath HQ this morning.

It came less than a fortnight after Martin O’Neill fined Barry a reported two weeks’ wages and declared he wouldn’t be allowed back to training after the player publicly criticised his manager for the handling of the transfer saga a fortnight ago.

But with O’Neill also admitting Arsenal have asked to kept informed of Barry’s status, he is aware of the need to avoid too much disruption to his pre-season preparations.

Villa have accepted the midfielder’s desire for Champions League football but know that he will only yield their asking price if he is kept to the peak of his fitness during the summer.

Barry’s return to training is merely more evidence that his club are prepared to accept his departure for something more in the region of the £15m Liverpool are prepared to pay.

Manager Rafael Benitez is reluctant to abandon the deal at this stage and is pondering a fifth bid as Arsenal’s interest gathers momentum.

But his chances of netting both Barry and Tottenham striker Robbie Keane still hinge on pushing through a big-money departure to subsidise his outlay.

Those hopes were dealt an emphatic blow yesterday when Juventus confirmed they are not in the market for any more players after Monday’s capture of the Danish international Christian Poulsen, thus calling off their pursuit of Xabi Alonso.

“If I have to be honest, unless something extraordinary happens, we can say that we have concluded our transfer activity,” said Juve president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli.

Alonso may well attract interest from Premier League clubs despite his £14m asking price. Allowing him to leave for much less would defeat the object of selling him to raise funds.

Liverpool Must Bid Big For Keane

If Liverpool really do want Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane, they will have to be prepared to bid up to £20million for the Irishman.

According to The Sun, Liverpool must offer big money for Spurs striker Robbie Keane.

The newspaper reckons Tottenham are prepared to sell their talismanic striker, provided the price is right.

It says Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is "waiting for an offer he can't refuse from Liverpool," and that means around £20million, a fairly astronomical figure which the Reds will almost certainly baulk at paying, given that Fernando Torres cost them only a little more than that - and that the Anfield club are reluctant to meet Aston Villa's £18 million asking price for long-time target Gareth Barry.

Barry's position at Villa has become strained if not unsustainable since he was barred from the club's facilities, with Liverpool continuing to haggle over that £18m price tag. and Arsenal apparently poised to move on with a bid.

So Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez seems unlikely to meet Tottenham's asking price for boyhood Reds fans Keane, suggesting that Spurs will have to lower that price to do business - or keep an unsettled player at White Hart Lane.

Mark Lawrensen: Bringing In Goal Machine Must Be Top Of Agenda

With a month to go until the new Premier League season ask yourself this: As it stands, have Liverpool for the players that can score the goals to give them the title?

Personally, I don’t think they have. My biggest bug-bear with Liverpool is that they need to realise it’s okay to lose some games as long as you’re trying to win them.

Put another way, the defence is fine, especially now Daniel Agger is back. So forget playing things safe because that’s where draws come from – and Liverpool had far too many of those last year.

They took only one point from almost a third of their games but draws mean nothing now. When it was two points for a win, a draw was half a win but now it’s a third, it’s worthless. Especially when Manchester United and Chelsea are winning so many week-in, week-out.

So my point is, who is going to make sure that if Liverpool go all out to win games that they will score the goals to ensure it happens?

Obvious answer is Fernando Torres.

But 33 goals weren’t enough to sustain a challenge last year and the odds are he won’t score that many again this season. He needs help.

And what if he falls over at Sunderland on the opening day of the season and is out for months?

Now Peter Crouch has gone that currently leaves Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt – and he can’t really be trusted to come in and bang the goals in as he’s been more used to a role wide on the right.

There is of course the possibility of Robbie Keane coming in but good player though he is, he’s more of a streaky scorer.

He’ll go on a run and get 10 in 10 but the that’s half his average season’s tally gone in one go.

He can’t guarantee the kind of regular goalscoring Torres was making a habit last season.

I have to admit that being negative this early on isn’t always wise – I’m sure Rafael Benitez does have some ideas up his sleeve for when the market speeds up.

The Spaniard David Silva would be an exciting addition and although that is unlikely to come off, at least some-one of that ilk would at least get Liverpool some way towards matching the top two in terms of firepower.

But at the moment I think it must be a worry for the Anfield faithful that there isn’t that kind of player they can pinpoint as being good enough to turn them into genuine contenders.

And with Javier Mascherano and Ryan Babel looking set for the Olympics it could be a very tricky start to the season if Benitez is unable to boost his forward line before the big kick-off.

It’s even got to the stage where I’m reading reports of Jermaine Pennant leaving for Blackburn and being concerned about losing him.

After all, he’s quick and creative and in terms of players who can operate in the vital wide areas he is an option.

And Benitez is going to have to gather an awful lot of those in the next month.

Torres Targets Liverpool Captaincy

Liverpool's Spanish sensation Fernando Torres has vowed not to become complacent after he managed to top his record-smashing debut season in England by scoring the goal which ended his country's 44 year trophy drought.

The 24-year old moved to Anfield from Atletico Madrid in a £22 million deal last summer, and despite doubts from several leading pundits, went on to score 33 times for The Reds in his debut campaign.

His transition from the Estadio Vicente Calderon to Anfield has been so seamless, that he even has designs of succeeding Steven Gerrard as captain of the storied Merseyside club one day.

Torres told The Mirror: "I really admire Steven Gerrard because I know the pressure he is under every day, everybody talking about him all day long, in changing rooms, in the pubs, in the stadium.

"I've heard people say that he should be stronger, have a stronger personality. And I know from experience how difficult it is to deal with all that. He is at another level of course, because Liverpool is a huge club.

"But I was captain of my team from a very young age and I know everybody was talking about me. I could feel it. I could see it out of the corner of my eye - especially when things weren't going right.

"People look at you from a distance and challenge you with their eyes. All that happens every day to Stevie and he copes with it - he copes with everything that is expected of him all the time.

"He's always under tremendous pressure to perform and everyone looks to him to show leadership, to lift the team.

"He has been a great example to everyone and those of us who have been in a similar situation know how difficult it is to handle.

It's incredible how he carries himself regardless of what's going on."

"I'd love to be captain one day - Steven has shown me how to be a great leader."

Torres also was keen to give Rafa Benitez credit for his career reaching a whole new stratosphere over the past year.

"Rafa has taught me to demand a lot of myself daily, not to relax. When you are in a team where things are going mostly well, players tend to relax.

"But you must always push yourself and never become complacent, try to do your best every single day. At a club like Liverpool, you can't sit back after scoring 20-odd goals and say, 'Well, that's it'.

"After you score 20, Benitez is on at you during the next training session and stays on top of you all day, all week. He tells you to go off on your own and do new exercises.

"There are days when you think, "My God, this guy does not let you breathe'. At times like that you don't realise that all he wants is for you to improve.

"I want to progress in life, not relax, not be complacent. And you need someone close to you telling you to keep at it. It is impossible to do it otherwise.

"We don't always fancy having someone like that so close. But in the long term, I'm sure everybody will thank him for it."

Toon In For Insua

Newcastle United are thought to be keen on a loan move for Liverpool's promising full-back, Emiliano Insua.

The Argentine was kept at Anfield for this coming season supposedly under express orders from manager Rafael Benitez, but the Toon are still hopeful of securing his services, if only for a year on loan.

With new signing Andrea Dossena and Fabio Aurelio more established internationals in Insua's position, the move may remain an outside possibility, particularly as John-Arne Riise has left for Roma.

The 19-year-old would most likely head straight into the Magpies' starting line-up ahead of Jose Enrique, who has failed to live up to his £6.3 million billing from Villarreal.

Nicky Shorey of relegated Reading and Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole's deputy at Chelsea, are other targets being eyed up by the Toon.

"I've got to sign another left-back, as I've only got one at the club," said coach Kevin Keegan.

"That's not to say I don't fancy Jose [Enrique], I do, but I need another left-back."

Rovers To Replace Bentley With Pennant?

With Blackburn Rovers looking increasingly likely to have to sell winger David Bentley, however reluctantly, Liverpool's Jermaine Pennant is emerging as their main target to replace him.

Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince is being tipped to make a move for Liverpool midfielder Jermaine Pennant as soon as David Bentley leaves Ewood Park, which is looking increasingly imminent.

According to The Independent, Tottenham Hotspur have offered Rovers a range of player options as makeweights in their bid to secure Bentley's signature, but Blackburn are said only to be interested in cash - and apparently they see Pennant as a ready-made replacement.

Pennant, who like Bentley was developed at Arsenal but couldn't command a regular starting place in Arsene Wenger's side, has been told by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez that he can leave Anfield.

He would be happy to join Ince's exciting new project at Ewood, but Liverpool will demand £6million for the 25-year-old. Rovers, though, are reportedly prepared to pay no more than £4million at this stage, so there could be some hard bargaining ahead.

Ironically, earlier in the summer Liverpool were one of the clubs being most strongly linked with a move for Bentley.

Satisfied Juve Rule Out Alonso

The chances of seeing Xabi Alonso in a Bianconeri jersey have dropped dramatically after Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli confirmed that the club's summer spending is over.

Cobolli Gigli's comments come a day after Juve manager Claudio Ranieri announced that Christian Poulsen would be their last addition ahead of next season.

The fact that the Dane plays the same position as long-term Juve target Alonso combined with the club's announcement means that if the Spaniard is to leave Liverpool in the summer it almost certainly won't be for Turin.

"We will not make any other buys. We have opted for the Dane because we have a very strong attack and needed a wall in the midfield," the Juve chief told local reporters.

"Everyone knows that the transfer market ends on August 31," but if I have to be honest, unless something extraordinary happens, we can say that we have concluded our transfer activity.

"I am convinced that we have made a good choice by acquiring Christian Poulsen," he added.

"This signing is not a bet made by (Claudio) Ranieri but rather a tactical decision taken by Juventus, knowing that a powerful attack can only be supported by a strong midfield."

Gigli's comments also have a direct impact on the future of Inter midfielder Dejan Stankovic, who was all set to join Juventus last month only for the fans to effectively veto the deal through an online protest which the club simply could not ignore.

Hyypia Not Afraid Of Competition As Agger Finally Plans To Return From Injury

Liverpool veteran Sami Hyypia today welcomed back young rival Daniel Agger from his 10-month injury nightmare and vowed to fight for his first team place.

Hyypia, 35 in October, has a new one-year contract and the chance to complete a remarkable 10 years at Anfield in style before considering his future options.

And the big Finnish defender figured in over 44 matches for the club last season when 23-year-old Agger was out with a metatarsal injury.

But although Agger made his comeback in Saturday's 1-0 friendly win at Tranmere, and would expect to become first-choice as the season progresses, Hyypia has promised the young Dane that he will be battling to keep his place in the team.

He said: 'It's nice to have him fit because players always want to play and it will have been hard for Daniel to deal with not being fit for so long.

'It must have been devastating for him to be out for almost a whole season.

'It is not something I would really know about because I have never suffered that kind of thing but I'm sure it was very difficult for him.

'But I am really glad that he is back and he can help the team to win trophies.

'I am sure the manager is happy because it means he has five centre-backs to choose from now.

'That means we all have to fight for our place but that is the way it has always been at Liverpool and this season will be no different.

'It is good to have that kind of challenge, though. I will be fighting for my place and I am sure the other defenders will be doing exactly the same.'

And Brazilian full-back Fabio Aurelio underlines the strong competition there will be in Liverpool's defence now that boss Rafael Benitez has brought in two new full-backs, Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena.

Both made their debuts at Tranmere, and Aurelio told liverpoolfc.tv: 'At a club like Liverpool there is always massive competition to get into the starting XI because of the players we have for each position, but that is good and it can only improve the team.

'We are trying to fight for every title and we have more possibilities this season.'

Carson In Talks With Stoke

Scott Carson is holding talks with Stoke City after Liverpool accepted a £3.5million bid for the goalkeeper, according to Sky Sports News.

Carson moved to Anfield from Leeds in January 2005, but has been unable to force his way into Rafa Benitez's first-team plans.

He spent all of last season on loan at Aston Villa, after a similar arrangement with Charlton Athletic for the duration of the previous campaign.

The Whitehaven-born shot-stopper was handed his competitive England debut for the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia at Wembley last November.

But he endured an evening to forget as his early howler handed Slaven Bilic's side an early advantage, with the visitors going on to record a 3-2 triumph in the Wembley rain to deny England a place at Austria and Switzerland.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis has been scouring the market for a new goalkeeper this summer and it will be something of a transfer coup if he can bring Carson to the Britannia Stadium.

Villa considered a deal to make their former loan star's move permanent, while West Brom and Middlesbrough were also credited with an interest in the No.1.

Reds Starlet Set For Loan Move

Liverpool starlet Robbie Threlfall is set for a loan move away from Anfield as Rafa Benitez looks for him to gain valuable first team experience.

The 19-year-old full-back is highly regarded at Anfield having come through the youth ranks and recently signed a three-year deal at the club.

Threlfall had a spell with Hereford last season and Benitez is keen to send him out on loan again as he continues his policy of farming out his best young players to aid their development.

The Reds have made the talented left-back available for loan and the news has alerted a number of clubs north and south of the border.

A couple of League One sides and SPL clubs are believed to be tracking the defender as they look to secure his services.

Threlfall is looking forward to the chance of moving out on loan as he looks to get regular action under his belt.

"I have been informed that Liverpool are willing to let me go out on loan and I am relishing the prospect of playing on a regular basis," Threlfall told skysports.com.

"I am aware of some interest in me and I am prepared to go anywhere to continue my development.

"I believe going out on loan will prove a valuable experience in my bid to establish myself in the Liverpool first team in the future."

Sissoko - Xabi Happy With Reds

Mohamed Sissoko has cast further doubt on Xabi Alonso's proposed move from Liverpool to Juventus.

Sissoko made such a move himself in January but believes the Spaniard is happy at Anfield.

His comments come as the transfer of the £16million rated midfielder appears to have stalled.

Sissoko told Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport: "Yes, I have talked to him.

"And he told me he is happy at Liverpool."

Sissoko could instead link up with Sevilla midfielder Christian Poulsen as the Bianconeri look set to pay the player's 10million euro contract release clause.

The Denmark international has already agreed personal terms and is set to be confirmed after a medical on Monday.

Some Juve fans are unhappy with the signing but Sissoko believes the pair can form a solid partnership in the Juventus midfield.

He said: "We have different characteristics. In fact I think our styles can fit together very well, as can our qualities.

"He gets stuck in more and also scores more goals. There's no doubling up.

"Certain choices don't depend on me, but here there's space also for Poulsen."

He added: "I want to win the Scudetto. We are strong and we have the quality to improve still further.

"Now it's up to us, we have a great desire to win, we have a pile of dreams, we want to achieve them all."

Lee - We Can Be Champs Again

Sammy Lee believes Liverpool can get back to their glory days in the league.

The Reds assistant manager - who was part of the famous Liverpool sides that lifted the league in the early 80s - returned to Anfield earlier in the summer as boss Rafa Benitez's right-hand man.

He knows how much the club wants a first-ever Premier League crown, and believes they are not far off achieving this aim.

While the Reds will have to overhaul Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal for top spot, Lee believes they can better these sides.

He told the club's official website: "They are three very good teams. Only results will prove whether I'm right or wrong, but I feel that we need to be looking to be not just as good as, but better than those three.

"We just need that little stroke of luck, that little attention to detail, and you never know.

"We are not that far away and I feel we have proven on many occasions over the past four or five years that we can be better than them. Not as good as - but better."

Liverpool came within 11 points of eventual champions Manchester United last term, their nearest finish since 2002.

Lee added: "That shows we are getting closer. I have never been one for making promises. There are enough people out there who give promises and I would never do that.

"But what I would say is that I feel we are going in the right way. I feel with just a little bit of tweaking here and there we will not be far off.

"Only time will tell, but what I will say is that everyone is striving and working hard to try and make sure that we can close that gap and overhaul it."

Lee is delighted to be back at Liverpool - who he left in 2004 to take up an England role - after a stint as Bolton manager did not work out last term.

He added: "It's not easy to get back into the game, so to get the chance to come back here was the greatest honour I could ever receive.

"To be perfectly honest, it wasn't very easy for me to leave here in the first place - I just thought it was the right thing to do at that particular moment in time.

"I was very proud and very honoured to be given the Bolton manager's job and it was great to work with Sam Allardyce, it really was.

"That sense of pride and honour was only outweighed by the sense of disappointment that it didn't go well.

"I wanted to do well, but everybody was superb. The fans at Bolton were fantastic both to me, my family and the players at that time. I think they saw what we were trying to do, even if the results didn't mirror that."

He added he was disappointed that some people only saw him as ever being a number two.

"I don't think that's true. I thought I'd served an apprenticeship as a coach, reserve team coach, first team coach, assistant manager - it's not a natural progression but I thought it was part of my apprenticeship," said Lee, who has not ruled out a return to management.

"I have to be careful when I say I'd like to be a manager again because people might think I want to do it here when the top man's already here and doing a terrific job, or people might think I'm angling to go somewhere else when I'm not.

"At this precise moment in time, all I'm looking for is to try and do the best I can for Liverpool Football Club, to be a good help to Rafa and the players and to try and get us back to where I certainly believe we belong."

Daniel Agger To Fight For Liverpool FC Place

Daniel Agger has vowed to fight for his first-team place after returning from his injury nightmare against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday.

The Denmark international, who played for 75 minutes of the 1-0 victory at Prenton Park, has missed almost 10 months of football with metatarsal problems, with his previous appearance for Liverpool coming against Portsmouth last September.

Agger’s absence has been offered up as an excuse for the Anfield outfit’s failure to challenge for the title last season by his manager Rafael Benitez, who was left with just two senior centre-backs, Sami Hyypia and vice captain Jamie Carragher.

Martin Skrtel was recruited for £6.5m in the January transfer window as cover, with the imposing Slovakian defender impressing in the end of season run-in alongside Carragher as Liverpool reached the semi-final of the Champions League.

And now Agger admits he will have to prove his first-team credentials all over again.

He said: “I feel like I am starting over. You can say that I have missed a lot of football or, you can say that there is a lot to come.

“I didn’t play and that’s how it is. I am focused on this season and I really, really have been working hard to keep my fitness level up.

“Of course, I worked throughout the summer and my target has been to keep my fitness high so that I am ready for the first day of the season.

“The competition for places will be hard. That’s what you expect at a club like Liverpool. I will fight for my place and the rest of the players will do the same.”

The 23-year-old admits the last 10 months have been the toughest of his fledgling career.

“It has been way too long for me,” he added.

“It has been the most frustrating time of my career and I am trying to look forward now and not back on how bad it has been. I am concentrating on this season now.

“I was low, but you have to concentrate on coming back as soon as possible, keep working and that is the most important thing, don’t be sad about what happened but keep looking forward.

“Everybody helped me, but I know myself best and I have a really strong will to get back.”

Agger’s return is a major boost for Benitez, who is confident of tying up a deal for Gareth Barry this week.

“I think Agger did okay,” said Benitez.

“The main thing for us was to see if he could come through and he had no problems so he will be a good plus for the team.”

Several of Gary Ablett’s reserve side produced assured displays in the win, with former Barcelona starlet Danny Pacheco in particular impressing in a lone striker role.

The manager said: “Today I think Pacheco was really good and he had two or three chances and was a threat in attack.” Meanwhile, Jermaine Pennant appears to be heading for the Anfield exit, with Blackburn Rovers boss Paul Ince ready to offer around £3m for the winger.

Aurelio Ready To Fight For Starting Spot

Liverpool full-back Fabio Aurelio is ready to fight for his place in the side following the signing of Andrea Dossena.

Dossena, an Italian international, arrived from Udinese this summer, and along with hot prospect Emiliano Insua, will be challenging Aurelio for the sole left-back slot, something the Brazilian is looking forward to.

"It's good to be back training for the pre-season and I'm hoping to work hard and get as fit as possible to improve my fitness," he told the club's official website.

"At a club like Liverpool there is always massive competition to get into the starting XI because of the players we have for each position, but that is good and it can only improve the team.

"We are trying to fight for every title and we have more possibilities this season."

Aurelio also had kind words for compatriot Diego Cavalieri, another new signing - the third Red Brazilian along with Lucas - and Aurelio believes his club have snapped up the second best goalkeeper in Brazil.

"I know last season he was the second best goalkeeper in Brazil," he continued. "He's a good goalkeeper so he's now got a good opportunity to show what he can do.

"We are trying to help not only Diego but Andrea and Philipp [Degen, another new signing] settle in as well. We hope they can feel good in the dressing room and we all try our best to help everyone as best we can."

Rafa To Rivals: Continuity Counts

Rafael Benitez is convinced that Liverpool will hold a vital edge over their Premiership rivals going into next season despite them not being in the same spending bracket.

There are strong indications that Liverpool will be the only top four side that will still have their core starting XI in place next season, as Chelsea and Arsenal again are going through a period of transition, while United look set to lose the jewel in their crown to Real Madrid.

So far, all the major transfer news surrounding the Reds has either seen them as the aggressor (i.e. Barry, Keane, Villa) or the tone-setting sellers (i.e. Crouch, Alonso).

Thus, unless something completely unexpected happens between now and mid-August, the Anfield side should be going into next season having succesfully built on an already very solid core.

"The players who played the majority of the games last season, the big names, the important players are still with us and that's important," Benitez was quoted as saying in The Mirror.

"It can give us an advantage. For us, keeping our key players and bringing in others with passion and hunger is important.

"You have to be realistic. Every year you need to change players. For example, Crouch wanted to play and you need to accept his situation, understand it and move on.

"But you want to keep the players who are your key components. That gives us stability and a base to work from, and then, hopefully, the new players can give us the things we were looking for."

While espousing the perceived virtues of his own team, Benitez did admit that shaking things up - whether by design or not - can have its own benefits.

"When you talk about these players like Ronaldo, Adebayor, Lampard, they are very good players and their prices will be high," the Spaniard added.

"If they leave, the clubs will have more money and could bring in better players. But we will have all our big names still in place, and that could be more important. They will have confidence, too.

"When you have players winning trophies, that's important for their mentality.

"Sometimes you can see a good player who isn't winning trophies, and you have doubts about his mentality.

"But the Spanish players have shown they have it by winning a trophy, and we have others here who have shown it as well."

Benitez then turned his attention to young players at the club whom he is expecting big things from this season, with specific focus on Dutch star Ryan Babel.

"Babel will now be more settled now and more experienced, and maybe we can see the best from him this season," he added.

"I can see Babel emerging this season, we know his potential, and he is a player that can change a game.

"We know Ryan prefers to play as a striker, but it's important to have experience in other positions, and we can use his versatility.

"With him improving, Daniel Agger coming back, and the younger players coming through to add to those with experience, we have a good balance."

Benitez Determined To Complete Signings

Rafael Benitez insists he will successfully complete some major Liverpool signings in the coming weeks.

The Anfield boss had seen the supporting cast of youth and fringe players from his squad complete the club's first pre-season friendly with a 1-0 win at Tranmere on Saturday, thanks to a fine first-half winner from Yossi Benayoun.

But it was the players Benitez is trying to bring to the club - Gareth Barry and Robbie Keane - who occupied minds of the manager and many of the big Liverpool following in the 15,000 sell-out Prenton Park crowd.

Benitez would not be drawn on specific names, but as he prepares to take his squad to Switzerland on Sunday for a fortnight-long training camp, he said: "We are still working hard to bring in two more players.

"I would hope that there would be some progress next week or very soon."

Benitez added: "I was delighted with the fitness levels of the players, Benayoun scored a fantastic goal and there were plenty of things that were really positive.

"I was happy with Daniel Agger's comeback, he will be a welcome addition to our defence in the coming season.

"Philipp Degen also did well on his debut, he was very impressive attacking down the right side."

Liverpool also brought new £3million goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri on for his debut in the second half.

He embarrassingly delayed the restart because he was not ready for action, with Agger having to tie the Brazilian's bootlaces for him on the pitch.

But Benitez said: "He did not have too much to do, but he is a keeper who will fight for his place and put pressure on others around him."