Maxi Rodriguez Arrives In Anfield

Argentina international Maxi Rodriguez is close to completing his move to Liverpool after arriving in the city today.

Rodriguez is scheduled to have a medical before signing an 18-month contract.

The winger will watch Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round replay against Reading at Anfield before returning to Spain to tie up the final details of his departure from Atletico Madrid.

Rodriguez, 29, still has to agree his pay-off from Atletico but could be back in England by the weekend to figure in the squad that will travel to Stoke on Saturday.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had hoped the £1.5million deal could have been completed last week, but the former Newell's Old Boys and Espanyol player was unable to finalise the details of his departure.

The arrival of Rodriguez - a close friend and international team-mate of Reds midfielder Javier Mascherano - will follow the departures from Anfield of Andrea Dossena to Napoli and Andriy Voronin to Dinamo Moscow.

Those two deals have brought in funds totalling £6.5million, and Ryan Babel's name could soon be added to the list of departures now Benitez has been assured that he can have the potential £10million fee to strengthen his squad during this transfer window.

Benitez had previously been told to wait until the summer before spending on new additions.

Reds Deny Chamakh Deal

Liverpool today rubbished suggestions they have signed Marouane Chamakh in a £25m deal.

It is no secret the Reds are in the race to sign the 26-year-old striker from Bordeaux, along with several other clubs but they are still waiting to hear whether their bid to land him has been successful.

Chamakh is available on a Bosman in June and has indicated that he will make a decision on his future by the end of the current transfer window.

But Liverpool have not tried to steal a march on their rivals by offering him a £12m signing on fee or a contract reported to be worth more than £60,000 a week.

That would equate to a deal worth more than £100,000 per week for a player who is currently earns around a tenth of that figure in Ligue 1.

Liverpool are intent on exercising prudence and are simply interested in individuals who want to enhance their medal collection rather than swelling their bank balance.

Liverpool FC Confirm New Investors Hopes But Deny They Would Sell Stars Like Torres And Gerrard

Liverpool Managing Director Christian Purslow today confirmed the club could have new investors within the next few months – as he insisted top stars like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard would never be sold.

Purslow revealed he is now deep into the process of whittling down potential interested parties – of which there are several.

If successful that could ultimately involve part ownership with current American joint club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett – or even someone completely buying them out.

The Reds supremo who took over from Rick Parry last year, spoke following the resignation on Monday of director Tom Hicks Jr., son of co-owner Tom Hicks, after an email row with a fan.

He insisted all money recouped in the January transfer window would be available to manager Rafa Benitez to invest in replacements.

Purslow’s firm declaration that players like Torres and Gerrard would be going nowhere followed weekend newspaper headlines which claimed Benitez had acknowledged the duo might one day have to be sold.

Benitez was known to be very angry with the way he was represented over Torres and club captain Steven Gerrard – and Purslow completely dismissed the notion of Liverpool ever being a “selling club”.

The former city banker and lifelong Liverpool fan told the ECHO: “Nothing could be further from the truth than reports which suggested the club would choose to sell its star footballers.

“The idea that we would ever wish to sell our top players is completely against the interests of this club.

“In fact our key priority since the summer has been to secure our senior players on long term improved contracts, because we remain of the view that our starting eleven compares with anybody in the Premier League.

“Our plan – and what we are working on – is to try and improve the team; not to be so stupid as to reduce the quality of our squad.

“The suggestion in any way that we would sell players in order to pay down debt or pay money to our owners is preposterous. Neither is true. Neither is possible.

“Any proceeds we generate from the sale of players can only go into our player account for the recruitment of new players.

“It’s in the public domain that the owners have been looking to bring new investors in to the club to pay down the club’s existing debts – which are today about £237m – by way of issuing new shares which would dilute their shareholding in the club. That process is ongoing.

“The debt we have today is obviously serviced by the club in terms of interest and bank fees and if we reduce our debt then clearly those interest charges and bank fees will reduce.”

Liverpool fans, led by supporters group the Spirit of Shankly, have long since campaigned for Hicks and Gillett to leave the club and sell it to new owners.

On the prospect of new investment, Purslow said: “Inevitably when you run an investment process of this kind in the early stages many, many people have a look.

“Much of the challenge in these processes is to sort out the serious and the real interest from people who are unlikely to make an investment.

“I think it’s fair to say as we now move into the New Year that we are whittling down the interest to a smaller number – maybe a handful of serious groups who are interested in investing in Liverpool. And in the coming couple of months our job is to sort those into ultimately an investor that makes sense for everyone concerned.”

He stressed: “Provided all goes well, there is a serious possibility of new fresh investment into Liverpool Football Club within the foreseeable future.

“There are no guarantees – we are operating in an environment where, as everybody knows outside football and in football, it hasn’t been the most active investment market for the last 18 months. But largely because of the quality of Liverpool Football Club, both as a club and as a business, we haven’t had problems in attracting interest.

“However, the devil is always in the detail and in coming months our job is to get somebody over the line that makes sense for all concerned.

“That could be part ownership or it could be complete ownership.”

Purslow is continuing his efforts to get the club’s new stadium dreams back on track – and insists the success of that dream is critical to Liverpool’s continued future as a European giant – one which can finally realise its full potential. He is both confident and determined to make a new stadium a reality.

He said: “The stadium is absolutely central to the club’s strategic development because with a new stadium comes a transformation in the financial resources of Liverpool that can be ploughed back into the core of our activity - which is our playing squad.
“The good news is that all potential investors are attracted to Liverpool by the prospect of building a new stadium and participating in the transformation in the value of the club associated with that project.

“Also positive is the fact that late last year, the bank market was essentially shut. It’s now very much open for business and a number of banks are very interested in financing our new stadium.

“However, a condition of all those banks’ interest is that in the first instance, we have brought new investment into the club.

“So I see it as a two step process – new investment in the next couple of months which reduces our existing debt to a very low level, to enable us then to push on with discussions with banks about financing the stadium.

“It’s that stadium which holds the key to us transforming our fortunes both economically and in football terms.

“It’s too early to name names but rest assured I want the fans to feel fully informed and when we home in on a small number of parties, subject to normal confidentiality provisions, I hope to be able to give people more of an update in the next month or two.”

Asked if he understood the continuing frustrations of the fans and what his message to them was, he said: “Don’t forget, I’m a fan and I desperately want to help the club move to the next level as soon as possible.

“In fact that’s why I’m here – for no other reason.

“While we are looking for new investment, the important thing is that we run the business as well as possible. The football and the business side must work seamlessly together in a co-ordinated way and ensure we are giving the football side of Liverpool everything it needs.

“As a fan I believe we must stay behind the team, keep positive and believe that with all our star players on the pitch in the second half of the campaign we might well be looking back on a very successful end of season from where we sit today. That’s my true hope and belief – we have every opportunity to do that.”

Asked about the January transfer window which has been the subject of much speculation and debate, he said: “The position is that January in general is not a high priority time for Rafa in terms of player acquisitions. That is largely because of the lack of availability of top quality players.

“We have taken the opportunity in the window to move out a couple of players (Dossena and Voronin) who weren’t playing frequently and we are looking at one or two replacement players.

“The key point is we will not sell a footballer if we can’t find a better or equal replacement.

“At the same time we are totally focused on results; wanting to have a successful second half of the season and we would not want to leave our squad short compared to where we are today.

“So I don’t rule out the possibility that we do sell another player – but only if the manger is happy he’s found a comparable player or better. And if not, we wont sell any of our players - because we don’t want to be short.”

He added: “The money brought in from player sales in January and which might yet be brought in will not be going to pay off debt.

“It cannot and it will not.

“Money we generate by selling footballers goes straight into our player account to be used to replace those players in the transfer market.

“The overall message right now as we head into 2010 is that, slowly but surely on the strategic side, we are making progress towards finding new investment which is the key to unlocking a new stadium. And that stadium is the single event that will transform the financial prospects of Liverpool.

“Meantime I hope and believe we are running our club sensibly, with a total focus on the business of Liverpool supporting our manager and the football operations.

“From my perspective if we have opportunities in January to make positive changes then great. If not we will wait until summer when there’s a much more active transfer market.”

Purlsow is now seven months into his role - during which time Anfield’s Kirkdale-born Commercial Director Ian Ayre pulled off the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in British football history – an agreement with Standard Chartered Bank worth £80m.

Purslow reflected: “Obviously the most important aspect of any club is how we are doing on the field and I don’t think any of us had expected the first half of the season that we have had.

“That said, I’m very confident now that the vast majority of our players are fit and well, we’ll see a transformation in our results in the second half of the season.

“But in terms of the business side of Liverpool, day to day things could not have gone better.

“Commercially, I think the business is better than I expected and performing better than I expected.

“And obviously my number one priority remains the strategic issue of bringing in new investment – and that is probably about where I would have expected it to be.

“Going into the New Year I hoped that the initial process would have identified a smaller group of serious people who are interested in investing in Liverpool – and that’s where we are today.

“While there can be no guarantees, I am confident and optimistic that in the next couple of months one of them will be brought to fruition.

“The process of bringing in new investment and reducing our current debt will create a context whereby we can seriously get back on track the stadium project.

“That project remains my key priority, because it is that which holds the key to transforming the club’s financial position."

Rafa Hopeful Over Johnson

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez insists Glen Johnson is making good progress from his knee injury.

Johnson suffered a knee ligament problem during his side's 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the end of December.

Reports have suggested that the injury could sideline Johnson for up to three months, with Liverpool initially suggesting the England right-back would be back in action in a month.

Benitez is refusing to put a timescale on the former Chelsea and Portsmouth star's return to action, but is happy with his recovery to date.

"I was watching him yesterday and he seems okay," said Benitez.

"It's a question of time. He's progressing but we have to wait."

Fan Group Accuses Liverpool Of 'Self-Destruction' Over Naming Rights Issue

Liverpool bosses have been accused of committing an act of "self-destruction" after confirming that the club are looking to leave their Anfield legacy behind and sell the naming rights for the new stadium at Stanley Park.

The club's commercial director, Ian Ayre, recently told Goal.com UK that it would be "crazy" for the Merseyside giants not to cash in by securing a stadium sponsor, but a section of the fans disagree.

According to The Daily Mail, the secretary of the German Reds official supporters' club, Graham Agg, said: "The whole idea of leaving Anfield and knocking it down is the biggest act of self-destruction the club could ever consider.

"Can you imagine the Nou Camp or Bernabeu being bulldozed by Barcelona or Real Madrid, or Inter Milan leaving the San Siro?

"You’re talking about football’s cathedrals, and Anfield is one of them. There is too much heritage, history and tradition for it all to be thrown away.

"I just can’t imagine going to somewhere like the Budweiser Stadium to support Liverpool, and I’m sure there are plenty who feel the same way."

Work is set to begin on the new stadium once £120 million has been raised, and it is believed that this sum will be secured in the next two months.

Liverpool Boss Rafa Benitez Given Green Light To Spend Cash From Ryan Babel Sale

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has been assured by the club's board that any money raised by the sale of Ryan Babel will be his to use in the transfer market this month, according to a report from The Times.

The Reds' policy this transfer window has been to move high-earning players deemed surplus to requirements out of the club.

Andriy Voronin has departed to Dinamo Moscow with Andrea Dossena leaving for Napoli in deals together worth £6 million.

It was then felt the wisest thing to do would be to retain funds until the summer, when higher-quality players should be available on the market.

It is believed that part of this plan involved hanging on to Babel until the end of the season because he would be difficult to replace, but The Times indicates that the player could now leave.

Benitez would then be handed the money raised from the sale to use immediately, should a suitable replacement be available.

Liverpool are believed to value Babel at around £11m. Birmingham City were reported last week as having had a bid of £9m for the forward rejected.

Reds Starlet Delight At Deal

Liverpool youngster Nathan Eccleston has expressed his delight at signing a new long-term contract at Anfield.

The 19-year-old Manchester-born starlet would have been out of contact in the summer, but is now committed to the club until 2013.

Eccleston made his first-team debut against Arsenal in the Carling Cup this season before coming off the bench in the league at Fulham.

Red boss Rafa Benitez is keen to retain the club's brightest youngsters and believes with hard work that Eccleston can be a 'player' with his talent.

Eccleston is delighted to have been given first-team opportunities this season and hopes more hard work will result in further appearances.

"I'm really excited about my new deal. It's a good club," he told skysports.com. "The boss is happy with my progress this season.

"He's given me my chance and hopefully I'll get more chances in the future. I've got to keep working hard in training and impressing that way.

"If there's injuries like that time I can be given even more of a chance. Overall I'm looking to get more first-team experience."

Eccleston has been linked with a move to the Championship to gain more first-team football and he would be interested in a loan move.

"If it's the case that I might not be looking to play more games for Liverpool then another option is to go out on loan," he continued.

"I'm still a young player and I need to gain experience in games.

"If I'm to break into Liverpool's first team I need to have been in the Championship to gain experience. It's a good level of football.

"If I can show that I can succeed in the Championship then I can come back and be more able to play with the first-teamers."

Liverpool are packed with attacking talent and Eccleston admits Spain international Fernando Torres is a great player to learn from.

"Torres? What more can I say really? It's great training with Fernando," he concluded.

"It's good to watch and learn from a player like him. I'm looking to increase my experience in any shape or form.

"He doesn't speak a lot of English, but by not saying things with words he kind of shows you in training. He does it by example."

McDermott: No Liverpool FC Bid For Federici

Reading insist they have had no contact from Liverpool over Adam Federici despite reports last week linking the keeper with a £2million move to Anfield.

Royals’ caretaker manager Brian McDermott said that his 24-year-old keeper won’t be affected by the speculation when the two teams meet in an FA Cup third-round replay tonight.

McDermott said: “He’s fine. He spoke to me and said ‘are you going to sell me to Liverpool?’, but I’ve heard nothing.

“He’s a good young goalkeeper and it’s good for our younger players that the big four are looking at them.

“We’ve been blessed here with goalkeepers. We’ve got Ben Hamer, who was player of the year at Brentford last season, Mikkel Andersen, who is doing well at Bristol Rovers and Alex McCarthy at Yeovil.”

McDermott is confident of keeping hold of his first-team squad in the January transfer window.

He added that he had heard nothing from Sheffield United over the availability of Alex Pearce.

Manager Kevin Blackwell sees Pearce as an ideal replacement for Blades star Matthew Kilgallon, who looks set to move to Everton at the end of the season.

After making 11 consecutive appearances for Royals this season, Pearce was dropped by McDermott in favour of Matt Mills for the visit of Liverpool on January 2.

Sources told the Reading Post that United have made an informal enquiry for the 21-year-old, but McDermott refuted any suggestions that Pearce would be sold.

“I’ve heard nothing as far as players in the team are concerned,” claimed McDermott.

“I’m not planning on losing players. Some of the players not quite in the squad right now may go out on loan. I think that’s something we need to look at as we had 26 out there the other day.”

Sir John Madejski has yet to update McDermott on the manager’s situation, but it is widely anticipated that he will be named as Brendan Rodgers’ successor.

McDermott continued: “I’ve literally been told just to look after team affairs. That’s what I’ve been doing and nothing has been said since.

“That’s okay with me. I’m fine with that. Whether that’s okay with the fans I don’t know. I think at some point things will come to a head because they have to. It’s a natural thing.

“I spoke to the chairman on Tuesday and he asked me if it was okay if he could come on the bus on the way home from the Liverpool game.

“And I said chairman you can do what you like. That is not a problem!”

McDermott also rubbished rumours of the team being picked by himself and director of football Nick Hammond, calling it “complete nonsense”.

Finally, director of football Nick Hammond has also rubbished reports that dynamic midfielder Marek Matejovsky is on his way out of Madejski Stadium.

Liverpool FC Young Gun Stephen Darby Ready To Learn The Hard Way

Second chances in football, if they happen to arrive, are priceless. Few know that better than Stephen Darby.

While Rafa Benitez was relieved to escape the Madejski Stadium safe in the knowledge Liverpool would have another opportunity to secure a place in the FA Cup fourth round, it was a bittersweet evening for Darby.

On one hand, there was the inevitable sense of frustration; he, like his team-mates, wanted to negotiate the first hurdle on the road to Wembley without trouble, to sail through into the draw with a performance to build on the win at Aston Villa.

There is no disputing Liverpool were horribly off colour 10 days ago against Reading, a pale shadow of the team that performed with such conviction and confidence in the Midlands.

From a personal viewpoint, though, Darby can look back on that game with great satisfaction; thrust into the limelight for the first time since making a costly slip against Fiorentina in the Champions League, his determination to atone was instantly evident. Spurred on by the encouragement he had received from Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and “too many others to mention” in the days and weeks since, Darby was Liverpool’s star man on January 2, embodying defiance in that 1-1 draw.

With Glen Johnson sidelined for at least another four weeks due to damaged medial ligaments, Benitez has a gap to fill on the right side of his defence and Darby – who led Liverpool to FA Youth Cup success in 2007 – is anxious to stake his claim.

Above all, however, Darby wants to show Benitez the faith he placed in him was not misplaced; the 22-year-old appreciates how other managers might have closed the door once and for all after such a costly error, and he will not let his second chance go without a fight.

“It was just so pleasing that the manager had the confidence to put me back in,” said Darby.

“The FA Cup is a massive competition. We knew not to underestimate Reading and that it was going to be a difficult game. But it was a massive confidence boost for me, as it shows that if you work hard and keep you head down, the manager is willing to throw you in. Everyone had something to say and gave me advice but it was a question of showing I was mentally strong.

“You have to keep the right attitude. Fiorentina was a tough learning curve. I had to take the positive from that game, try and make the incident make me a better player, keep your focus and keep working hard. You have to be your own worst critic if you want to improve.”

Improvement is certainly something Liverpool need to do during the second half of the campaign and performances as powder puff as the one they served up against the Royals must become a thing of the past. Still, turning a negative into a positive, at least Liverpool are still in the FA Cup, and, all things being equal, they should have far too much firepower on home soil this evening.

Fresh and raring to go after seeing Sunday’s scheduled game against Tottenham postponed, Darby says the there is a motivation within the group to embark on a winning spree – starting against Reading.

“We just want to try and get a run of games together to build confidence and it was just frustrating that we never had chance to do that at the weekend; at least training wasn’t disrupted too much,” said Darby.

“Obviously there are good sides and bad sides to missing a weekend but the one plus is that we have had a bit more time to prepare for Reading; we’ve had chance to put right the things that did not go so well in the first place. Reading showed that they are a good side and they gave us a tough game at their place – it was a typical FA Cup tie – but we have got the quality and ability to go through. Hopefully we can do the job here. They haven’t just got one threat; they work well together as a side and, as they showed in the first game, they put us under a lot of pressure. We know what to expect and we’ll be ready to make sure we get the right result.”

Indeed, one result could set them on the road to Wembley. And having won the junior version, Darby is eager to repeat the feat in the senior competition.

“It would mean everything,” he said. “Having watched the FA Cup on TV, you know how huge the competition is and to be a part of a team that won it would be something else, the biggest team in the world in the biggest competition. We want to give a trophy to the fans.”

Liverpool FC’s Motorsport Investment Doubles For 2010

Superleague Formula, the motorsport series won by a team representing Liverpool FC in 2009, will have twice the number of races in 2010 as in 2009, meaning the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will be competing over 12 weekends.

Britain, Germany and Spain will each feature two rounds, with six new circuits on the schedule. One of those is Silverstone, which will host the season opener over the first weekend of April.

Superleague Formula seeks to combine soccer and motorsport with teams backed by professional soccer clubs. In 2009, Liverpool narrowly beat Tottenham Hotspur to the title, ahead of the likes of AC Milan, Porto and AS Roma.

The competition has been a popular innnovation with players at the clubs. When Liverpool's Spanish driver Adrian Valles visited Anfield and Liverpool's training ground in November, the club's manager Rafa Benitez admitted: "It was great that Adrian could join us on Monday and see Anfield for himself. I know the players were looking forward to meeting him as most have an interest in cars and have been following Liverpool's progress in Superleague Formula all season."

Valles will seek to defend his title for Liverpool in the newly expanded series in 2010. "There is a great mix of circuits with some existing and ex-F1 venues supplemented by regional tracks which are ideal given their location," said Superleague Formula competition director Robin Webb. "We are still looking at one or two non-European rounds at the end of the year. We are getting offers from outside of Europe, and our two major targets are the Middle East and South America. With more established drivers also taking an interest in Superleague, I'm confident 2010 will prove a vintage season."

Torres - Best Is Yet To Come

Liverpool forward Fernando Torres insists the best is still to come from the under-performing Reds.

The 25-year-old Spanish star has been frustrated by injury so far this season, although his goals-to-games ratio in the Premier League is still outstanding.

Torres has netted 12 times in 14 league starts in what has been a poor campaign for Rafa Benitez's side, who currently lie seventh in the table.

With Liverpool also exiting the UEFA Champions League at the group stage, pressure is beginning to build on Benitez, but Torres insists there is still a long way to go this season.

"Unfortunately this season is not turning out how we had wanted, but our best is still to come," he said in the Liverpool Echo.

"Let's hope that we can put a string of good performances together and that we can put right what we've not done so well up to now.

"And who knows, in May we might well be talking about how good a season it's been. We've still got objectives to aim for.

"We're virtually the same team that finished second in the Premier League last season and we're going to do everything we can to improve our situation."

The Spain international has scored 50 goals in the English top-flight since his big-money move from Atletico Madrid in July 2007, although he has yet to pick up a trophy since joining the Anfield outfit.

Torres was recently named in the Fifa World XI for 2009 but he insists he would trade in the award for success on Merseyside.

"Being included in the World XI without having won any silverware makes me even more motivated," he added.

"What I mean is, though collectively we've not had the best of luck, on a personal note the balance is right and I'm doing my job well.

"I have to keep that going. We just need a little more luck as a team to be able to win a trophy.

"There are some big matches coming up and that way we'll be competing on a level playing field."

Liverpool's next Premier League game is an away trip to Stoke on Saturday, as they look to climb the table and fight for a top-four berth.

Tom Hicks Promises Big Summer Splash As Son Walks The Anfield Plank

Tom Hicks remained bullish in the wake of his son's resignation from Liverpool today when he pledged a "big" summer in the transfer market at Anfield and replaced the outgoing director with another Dallas-based ally.

Hicks's son, Tom Jr., bowed to pressure to relinquish his directorship of Liverpool and its parent company, Kop Holdings, following the furore over the obscene email he sent to a Liverpool supporter in a row over Rafael Benítez's spending power.

His place on the board has been taken by Casey Coffman, vice-president of Hicks Holdings and the chief operating officer of Hicks Sports Group, while Liverpool confirmed that Philip Nash and Ian Ayre, the club's chief financial officer and commercial director respectively, have been appointed directors.

The departure of Hicks Jr was announced this morning after he sent an abusive email to a supporter whom he told to "Blow me fuck face". It is understood the Liverpool director offered to resign when the controversy erupted on Saturday night, with the supporters' union, Spirit of Shankly, demanding his resignation and describing his position as untenable, before the decision was ratified 24 hours later.

A statement issued on behalf of Hicks Jr. read: "I have great respect for Liverpool Football Club, especially the Club's supporters. I apologise for my mistake and I am very sorry for my harmful words. I do not want my actions to take away from the Club's future; therefore I am resigning from the Board. To the fans and to the Club, please accept my sincerest apologies."

Unsurprisingly, given their determination to remove Hicks and George Gillett as owners of Liverpool, the Spirit of Shankly group welcomed the American's decision to step down. A spokesperson said: "This club has standards; on the field, off the field, on the terraces and in the boardroom. The standards we have seen exercised in the boardroom have been unbefitting of this great club since Hicks Jr., his father, George Gillett and other associates arrived at the Club with false promises."

The dispute between Hicks Jr. and the supporter, Stephen Horner, was prompted by last week's revelations that Benítez will have little to spend in this transfer window even if the Liverpool manager raises more than £15m through player sales. The club has so far raised £6.4m by selling Andriy Voronin and Andrea Dossena to Dynamo Moscow and Napoli respectively and are also hoping to offload Philipp Degen and Ryan Babel before the end of the month. Benítez has resisted efforts to cut his losses with Babel, however, amid concerns his budget will stretch no further than the proposed £1.5m signing of Maxi Rodríguez from Atlético Madrid and possibly one other loan deal.

Liverpool officials say Benítez's budget is a sensible approach to the difficult January transfer market and revenue raised now will be reinvested in the squad in the summer. The Liverpool manager has already started preparations for next season, with the Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh a target on a free transfer.

Liverpool, Manchester City & Manchester United Watching Joe Cole Contract Talks With Chelsea

According to The Times, Joe Cole's contract talks with Chelsea have hit a stumbling block over the player's wage demands.

As the England international's contract is poised to expire during the summer, there is a real possibility of the player leaving Stamford Bridge on a Bosman transfer.

The club is reportedly confident that an agreement will be reached well before the 28-year-old's contract expires, but are believed to have made little headway in the talks over the past 18 months.

It is claimed that Cole is demanding a weekly raise of £40,000, which would put him on par with Nicolas Anelka and Michael Essien on £120,000-a-week. But the club are said to be willing to part with 'only' £100,000-a-week, thereby reaching an impasse in the contractual talks between the player and the club.

Although the Englishman maintains that he would like to finish his career with the Blues, it is believed that he has so far remained unwilling to lower his wage demands. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed the same by saying: "The economic factor is an issue for the club to sort out."

Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City are said to be closely monitoring the situation with a view to snapping up the creative midfielder, should he become available during the summer.

Reds To Offer Babel For Sunderland's Jones

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is willing to send Ryan Babel to Sunderland in a swap for Kenwyne Jones.

It is reported that Benitez can only afford the £11million-rated Trinidad & Tobago target man if Babel goes to Steve Bruce's club.

The Kop manager has limited funds and cannot match Birmingham and Stoke if it comes to a straight cash auction for 25-year-old Jones.

However, Benitez has let leading agents work on his behalf to set up a potential swap involving Dutchman Babel, who is also rated at £11m by the Anfield outfit.

Liverpool believe Jones would fancy joining them and playing alongside Fernando Torres - or taking the Spaniard's place if he has to rest his injury.

Jones is not excited by the idea of joining Birmingham or Stoke, who have a lower profile. Liverpool may drop their valuation on Babel - Sunderland rate him at £8m - to make the move happen.

Liverpool Monitor Striker

Arsenal are weighing up a move for Everton striker Louis Saha after it became clear his contract negotiations have hit an impasse.

Everton are thought to be unhappy at the Frenchman's demands for a new £60,000-a-week deal that would span up to three more years.

While Saha is Everton's top scorer with 12 this season, he is still hindered by injuries and the club would prefer to present him with a shorter deal with bonus payments.

Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have all been monitoring his situation, knowing that he is a free agent in the summer.

Saha is 31 but Arsenal are willing to compromise their stance on offering just one-year contracts to players over 30 and would look at a two-year deal with a one-year option.

Manager Arsene Wenger hailed Saha last week when discussing strikers for France's World Cup squad.

He said: 'When Saha plays 10 games on the trot you can compare him with any striker.'

Starlet Commits To Reds

Liverpool starlet Nathan Eccleston has signed a new contract keeping him at Anfield until June 2013.

As previously revealed by skysports.com the 18-year-old striker agreed the three-and-a-half year deal last month and has now put pen-to-paper.

Eccleston, who had been out of contract in the summer, now has the chance to make his name with the Premier League giants.

The youngster, who is believed to be available for loan this January, had reportedly been attracting interest from rivals, although he has dashed their hopes of jumping ship in the summer.

Eccleston broke into Rafa Benitez's side this season after appearing in Carling Cup action at Arsenal, while he also made his Premier League debut off the bench against Fulham.

Liverpool FC Confirm Stadium Naming Rights Sale

Liverpool FC, the Premier League soccer club, has confirmed that it will sell the naming rights to its new stadium, work on which is expected to begin by April.

The stadium, which will be built in Stanley Park, close to the club's current home ground Anfield, is seen as a key source of revenue by the club's American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and the club's commercial director Ian Ayre says Liverpool would be "crazy" not to sell naming rights to the new ground.

"Naming rights is now an accepted part of building any new footballing venue in the world," he said to SportsCity. "And as one of only a few global football brands, it would be crazy of us not to tap into that opportunity.

"It is an area that some of our competitors have dabbled – Arsenal for example – and it is an opportunity for us to step forward. But what is important is to find the right partner who offers the right cultural fit. Who knows who that would be for Liverpool, but we have certainly had some interest."

Arsenal have a £100 million deal in place with airline Emirates for stadium naming rights and shirt sponsorships, but Liverpool would hope to make far more from their new home.

Ayre has been elected to the Liverpool board, along with Philip Nash, LFC chief financial officer, and Casey Coffman, executive vice president of Hicks Holdings, in the aftermath of Tom Hicks Jr.'s resignation yesterday. Hicks, whose father co-owns Liverpool with fellow American businessman Gillett, allegedly responded: "B*** me f*** face. Go to Hell. I'm sick of you," to a fan's email questioning the club's finances.

Aldridge: I Never Said Rafa Should Be Sacked

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has hit back at reports claiming he has called for under-fire Anfield manager Rafael Benitez to be sacked.

Stories in the British press on Tuesday morning suggested Aldridge believed the time had come to call time on Benitez's reign as Liverpool boss, but the goalscoring great insists the explosive headlines attached to the articles do not reflect his sentiments.

"I have never said that Rafa should be sacked," Aldridge told ESPN. "All I have said is he needs to turn things around quickly at Liverpool because the club needs to finish in the top four this season.

"These are difficult times for Liverpool on the pitch and financially, but Rafa should stay in the job until the end of the season and try to put things right."

Aldridge also insists comments from him claiming this is the 'worst time he can remember' as a Liverpool supporter are merely related to football matters and should not be compared to the horrors of the Hillsborough disaster, which he was forced to live through during his days as a Liverpool player.

"This is the most worrying time I can remember as a Liverpool fan because the team are struggling and the finances of the club are in a bad way, but you cannot compare those issues to the events of April 1989," he says.

"I attended 12 funerals after Hillsborough for fans who lost their lives on that terrible day and that will forever be the darkest moment in Liverpool's history."

Canales Talk Is Nuts - Racing

Racing Santander president Francisco Pernia insists reports teenage star Sergio Canales is on his way out "have as much relation to the truth as an egg to a chestnut".

Canales only turns 19 next month but is already being linked with a number of clubs including Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona and Barclays Premier League outfits Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

The youngster has made just 13 appearances in his two professional seasons at Racing but has burst into the spotlight with four goals in his last three starts.

That kind of form has seen Canales tipped as an outside bet for Spain's World Cup squad and also caught the eye of a number of clubs who are fully aware that his contract expires this summer.

However, there is a clause in place which would see Canales' deal automatically renewed for another year should he play 450 minutes this season and Pernia is confident of keeping him at El Sardinero.

"We have a commitment obtained with his father who is the person who represents the player's interests and I am fully confident in this," said the Racing chief.

"These stories have as much relation to the truth as an egg to a chestnut.

"I have never lost my calm nor am I going to. Nothing's happening here. Everyone's calm and no-one's getting nervous.

"There are always people who talk about matters and get in contact with other people to ask them about it."

Rafa Benitez Praises Liverpool Medics' Work With Fernando Torres But Calls Premier League 'Too Demanding'

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has praised the dedicated efforts of the Anfield medical staff in keeping Fernando Torres in good enough shape to play.

The striker has been undergoing intensive work on his troublesome groin injury, sometimes spending up to five hours extra at training during his rehabilitation.

Whilst Benitez acknowledges the player's hard work, he also feels that the medics deserve a pat on the back.

"Fernando knew from the beginning that it was a question of working very hard with the physios and fitness coach. He's doing this and he's a very good professional," the Reds' gaffer explained.

"The staff has been crucial. All the medical staff has been working very hard. Specific physios have been working very hard with him and the fitness coach Eduardo Parra is working with him every single day for hours and hours. This is crucial.

"It's been a busy season for the medical team. I've been watching injuries in the other teams and there have been a lot in the Premier League because it's too demanding."