New UEFA Rules Mean Liverpool Will Find It Eenormously Difficult' To Get Back Into The Champions League

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates believes that Liverpool will find it “enormously difficult” to reclaim a place in the Champions League due to the new financial rules that UEFA are introducing.

The new rules will mean that clubs will only be able to spend money that they earn, and the Stoke chairman believes that this will just benefit those clubs already in the Champions League, increasing their financial power.

Liverpool have already missed out on an estimated £30 million for failing to qualify for next year’s Champions League and Coates believes this could prove to be costly.

"It has been great this year with Spurs doing so well but Liverpool could find it enormously difficult with these new rules to get back into the Champions League, which causes the biggest distortion in football," he told BBC Radio Five.

Coates added that whilst he agreed with the principles of the new rules, he believes that in reality, they are simply widening the gap between the top teams and everyone else.

"I have a reservation about these new rules, in that it will affect clubs who want to get into Europe because it is going to reinforce what I call a quadopoly.

"What [UEFA president] Michel Platini is recommending on the whole seems sensible and good but it means up to £50m for playing in the Champions League and it will reinforce those top clubs and make it very difficult for anyone to break into that,” he added.

Teams like Manchester City and Chelsea could be those worse hit by the new rules, as UEFA aim to clamp down on ‘sugar daddies’ bankrolling clubs with limitless funds.

Stringent checks by an independent watchdog will look to prevent owners from bypassing the rules with massive sponsorship deals. The panel will survey all deals from companies affiliated to owners to ensure that they are not paying over the market rate in an attempt to boost revenue.

Despite their failure to qualify for the Champions League this year, Liverpool are thought to be unworried about meeting the new rules set out by UEFA.

The club has dramatically increased their commercial revenue over the past three years, second only to Manchester United, according to Deloitte.

They earned £67.7m from commercial revenues last year, just behind Manchester United’s £70m, and considerably in front of Chelsea’s £52.8m.

Amoo Commits To Reds

Skysports.com understands that Academy star David Amoo has signed a new two-year deal with Liverpool.

The 19-year-old moved to Merseyside from Millwall in 2007 and has continued to progress through the club's ranks.

An extremely fast right winger who can also play up front, Amoo is regarded as a bright prospect for the future.

His potential has not gone unnoticed and it is thought that Arsenal and Fulham were both keen to bring him in.

However, Amoo has decided to continue his development with the Reds and will hope to break into the first team over the coming years.

Rafael Benitez Switch From Liverpool To Inter Is Just Transfer Talk

Rafael Benitez's agent Manuel Garcia Quillon has dismissed reports linking his client with Inter as little more than transfer speculation.

The Liverpool coach has been rumoured to be one of the leading candidates to fill the void left by Real Madrid-bound Jose Mourinho.

Inter and Real are still some way from reaching an accord over the 'Special One' as they continue to negotiate the terms of his exit from San Siro.

But his replacement is unlikely to be Liverpool's Spanish tactician.

"I don't know anything about Inter," the agent told Calciomercato.it.

"No one has contacted me. It is just transfer speculation."

Benitez himself has maintained he wants to continue managing Liverpool whenever the subject has come up in recent weeks.

Simao Sabrosa 'To Join Fernando Torres At Liverpool Next Season'

Winger Simao Sabrosa could be set for a transfer to Liverpool this summer, where he will be paired with fellow former Atletico Madrid star Fernando Torres.

The 30-year-old wide man is being lined-up by Rafael Benitez in a bid to solve the Reds' left-sided problems, with Albert Riera currently out of favour.

Despite having only three years or so left at the top level, Simao could end up costing Liverpool as much as £8million - although cash-strapped Atletico are reportedly keen to sell the player to raise funds.

Simao never actually played alongside Torres, as he arrived in the summer of 2007 at the same time as the Spanish striker left for Anfield.

Benitez believes Simao's pace and crossing threat could reduce the pressure on his star striker by adding a creative element down the left.

But the Portuguese has played down talk of a move.

'Nobody has spoken with me in the last days about this subject,' he said.

'I only say that some people in Madrid have suggested that Atletico are preparing my sale, but I don’t know too much.

’I have always been interested in playing in the Premier League, but my head is in the World Cup and I have a deal with Atletico.'

Simao has one year left on his contract at Atletico, meaning a sale could be pushed through this summer or the Spanish outfit risk losing him for free in 12 months' time.

Liverpool Show Interest In £12m Premier League Centre Back

Rafa Benitez is hoping to lure Bolton Wanderers centre back Gary Cahill to Anfield this summer.

The Liverpool boss is hoping to get significant funding from an prospective new-owners but if he fails to get the cash injection he needs then he is ready to offload some squad players to help bring in new additions and has reportedly placed the England defender on his wishlist.

The 24 year old was on the periphery of Fabio Capello’s international set up before injury set him back in his race for a World Cup place.

The former Aston Villa man has improved immeasurably since his move to the Reebok and has been linked with a move away from the Trotters for some time.

Owen Coyle has tried to distance the player from such speculation but may find it hard to prevent Cahill’s head from being turned by interest shown by the Anfield side who are looking to improve their back four and also looking to add to their ‘homegrown’ quota.

Liverpool Issue Hands Off Warning To Madrid Over Gerrard

Liverpool are determined to fend off a fourth attempt by Jose Mourinho to sign skipper Steven Gerrard.

The Portuguese manager is set to take over at Real Madrid and has once again expressed his admiration for the Reds midfielder.

During his spell in charge at Chelsea, Mourinho made a move for Gerrard in the summer of 2004, 2005 and 2006.

However, despite coming perilously close to leaving after the Champions League triumph five years ago, Gerrard opted to rebuff Mourinho’s advances and stay loyal to his boyhood club.

The Reds captain, who will play for England against Japan on his 30th birthday this Sunday, signed a contract extension last July to keep him at Anfield until 2013.

But after a dismal season at Liverpool and ongoing discontent off the pitch, his future is again the subject of intense speculation.

Manager Rafa Benitez won’t contemplate parting company with the club’s talisman and co-owner Tom Hicks has promised Gerrard will not be sold.

However, that won’t stop Mourinho from testing the player’s resolve as he starts to splash the cash at the Bernabeu following his departure from Champions League winners Inter Milan.

“I like players in the final part of their careers,” Mourinho said.

“They are players that you buy and you won’t recover this money, but if they give you good performances for two or three years you’ve got your money’s worth.

“Both (Gerrard and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard) are great players who always give everything.”

Gerrard said he was putting all contemplation about his club future on hold until after the World Cup finals. He is determined to ensure transfer gossip doesn’t distract win from his mission to help England to glory in South Africa.

But it’s clear the Reds skipper has been deeply hurt by the downturn in the club’s fortunes over the past 12 months.

And he is waiting to see if the club match his own ambition and hunger for silverware by investing heavily in the transfer market this summer.

Steven Gerrard Back In Training After Injury Scare In Austria

The Liverpool midfielder was playing in an 11-a-side practice match in Irdning, Austria, but after less than one minute he pulled up sharply and then required treatment on his right calf, lasting 20 minutes, before informing manager Fabio Capello that he could not continue.

He played no further part in the match but did return to the field to do some stretching exercises.

An England source later said that Gerrard would resume training today.

Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson missed Thursday's training session as a precaution after picking up a slight groin injury during the 3-1 victory over Mexico on Monday at Wembley.

Meanwhile, Theo Walcott believes the fierce competition for places on the flanks in the England squad is bringing the best out of him in the battle for a World Cup spot.

Walcott feels Capello is facing a selection headache in terms of who to select from himself, Aaron Lennon, Adam Johnson and Shaun Wright-Phillips for his final 23.

The Arsenal player started Monday's clash against Mexico, with Lennon and Johnson entering the action as second-half substitutes.

And Walcott showed a willingness to track back as well as making some of his trademark runs and crosses.

He said: "The boss wants me to stay out wide, to be an outlet with Stevie G (Gerrard) coming inside.

"But I also did a lot of tracking back. It is not always about getting forward and, when I could, I did (get back).

"People saw a different side of me, going forward and back.

"But it's not just about me. There's Aaron and Adam as well. It is great competition to have.

"It is a great thing having competition, especially in my position, because it gets the best out of you. Aaron, Shaun and Adam are among the best players in England.

"It is a headache for the manager, but a nice headache, because there are fantastic options.

"It was a nice little boost getting the chance to start in the number seven shirt, especially at Wembley with the tremendous support. It shows I had been training quite well."

Liverpool FC's Anfield Executive Boxes Get Major Refurb This Summer

Liverpool have started work on a major refurbishment of the Anfield executive boxes – but club officials insist they still remain firmly committed to moving to a new stadium in Stanley Park.

The six-figure project will create outside seating for the 31 box holders in the Centenary Stand and will be completed in time for the start of next season.

The changes will have no impact on the ground’s overall capacity with supporters in the upper and lower tiers unaffected.

However, the club hopes the upgrade will soften the blow of a £11,000 increase in the season-long hire of a box to £55,000 plus VAT.

“The feedback we got from box holders was that they wanted an outside viewing area for games so they can enjoy the atmosphere as previously they’ve had to watch from behind glass,” a Liverpool spokesman said.

“The interior of each box is being redesigned but the building work won’t increase the external dimensions of the boxes so it will have no impact on other supporters.

“It’s all part of the overall strategy to improve facilities at Anfield until we can move to a new stadium.

“While we’re at Anfield we want to make it the most pleasant experience possible for our supporters.

“But it doesn’t detract from the long term desire and plans to move into a new stadium.”

Liverpool have also defended the hefty price increase in the hire of the boxes.

The spokesman added: “Prices have gone up but it’s still very competitive compared to other football clubs and other entertainment venues.”

Dalglish: Reds Will Ride The Storm

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish insists the club will not go backwards despite their current ownership issues and speculation about the futures of manager Rafael Benitez and star players Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

Former chairman David Moores gave a full and frank account of his reasons for selling to American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett in 2007.

After a tumultuous three-year reign the pair officially put the club, whose parent company Kop Holdings have debts of £351m with interest payments of £40m a year, up for sale last month.

That has led to increased instability off the pitch with constant conjecture about whether the manager and players will remain at Anfield.

Torres did little to quell that speculation yesterday when he side-stepped questions about his future, while Jose Mourinho, whose appointment as Real Madrid boss appears imminent, has spoken of his admiration for Gerrard.

However, Dalglish said the club was bigger than any individual.

“Liverpool FC is much more important than any one individual – it always has been and always will be,” said the Reds former player and manager, who now has an ambassadorial role with the club’s academy.

“It will move forwards and move upwards.

“It is not the greatest time in the club’s history at this time but I don’t think they will start to go backwards.”

Dalglish, voted Liverpool’s greatest player, also said he had some sympathy with Moores for reacting to the criticism aimed at him for selling to the Americans.

“David has got his own opinions and wanted to get something off his chest but everyone knows where David’s heart lies,” Dalglish told Sky Sports News.

Two other Liverpool greats, Alan Kennedy and John Aldridge, have joined the growing calls for Hicks and Gillett to engineer a swift sale.

Kennedy, a two-time European Cup winner, said the current state of uncertainty had affected the team this season, which saw Liverpool finish seventh – their worst league placing for 11 years.

“We have to move on. We are stagnating and it has shown in the performances of the players, who have been disappointing as well,” said the 55-year-old.

Former striker Aldridge was more outspoken, criticizing Hicks and Gillett for loading huge debts on the club and dismissing the former’s claims that Liverpool were in a better position now than they were three years ago.

“Any club that is losing £110,000 a day (on loan repayments) is in big trouble - whether they are Liverpool or not,” he said.

“We are in a massive mess. It is ridiculous to say we are in a good situation - absolutely ludicrous.”

Aldridge does take some comfort from the fact that the off-field problems may result in increased stability in the dressing room after speculation about Benitez.

“The manager’s future looks more tenable at the moment,” he added.

“There is no stability at the club and to lose the manager as well would put them in disarray.

“Would the two Americans really replace Rafael Benitez considering they don’t know an awful lot about football?”

The future of some players seems less secure and Mourinho did his bit to encourage any seeds of doubt which were growing in the mind of Gerrard.

“I like players in the final part of their careers,” said the Portuguese.

“I love to have some players who are 33 or 34 years old...they are players that you buy and you won’t recover this money, but if they give you good performances for two or three years you’ve got your money’s worth.

“Both (Gerrard and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard) are great players who always give everything.”

Tom Hicks: We Will Probably Sell Liverpool To A Buyer From The Middle East Or Asia

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks believes there are many parties throughout the world interested in buying the football club, although he believes the eventual new owner is most likely to come from the Middle East or Asia.

Hicks, along with fellow American George Gillett, is under heavy pressure to sell the Merseyside outfit as soon as possible, after a three-year tenure that has seen the club heaped with debt, fail to start work on a new stadium and fall off the pace in the Premier League.

After addressing concerns about the club's future on Wednesday, Hicks has reiterated his belief that a buyer for the struggling club will not be hard to find.

"Liverpool has a really big universe of interested buyers," Hicks told Bloomberg.

"There are a number of wealthy people all over the world, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, who are enormous Liverpool fans."

The 64-year-old also revealed he is looking to sell off all his other sporting assets, complaining about the constant attention such high-profile organizations tend to attract.

His Texas Rangers baseball side filed for bankruptcy on Monday, while his NHL outfit the Dallas Stars are also being sold off. If all goes to plan, Liverpool will be the final one to change hands.

"Sports has never been my primary business," Hicks said.

"We are systematically selling our sports assets to focus on our core businesses like private equity and real estate.

"The lack of privacy in sports is something that my family and I aren't willing to undertake any longer.

"We'll always be big fans but we want our privacy back."

Steven Gerrard Backs Glen Johnson To Play Major Role For Liverpool Next Season

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has backed Glen Johnson to play a major role for the club next season.

The former Portsmouth right-back scored his first international goal in Monday’s 3-1 win over Mexico, cutting inside from the right wing to curl the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area.

Johnson, who also picked up the man of the match award at Wembley, has been tipped by Gerrard to star for Liverpool next year, despite his injury-hit first season with the club.

"I thought Glen had a really good game and took his goal superbly," Gerrard told the club’s official website. "He has done that a few times for us and he can do real damage with his left foot.

"He is very dangerous when he can run down the wing like he did against Mexico and cut inside. When he is in that mood, he provides England with a real threat.

"He has got great quality. Glen is one of the best attacking full-backs around and I think he has done really well for us but there is definitely better to come.

"Injuries have really disrupted him this season, but I'm sure next season he will show his best form on a regular basis, the kind he showed when he first came here."

Benitez Confirmed As Favourite To Land Turkish Delight

Turkish international Arda Turan is set to quit Galatasaray with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez the confirmed favourite to land the talented 23-year-old playmaker. Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is also interested, however, the Turkish club do not see Spurs' proposed player-plus-cash offer as value for losing their talismanic captain. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is an outsider for the signature of the Turkish international with the Frenchman concentrating on the Cesc Fabregas transfer situation.

Turan has been consistently linked with a move to the Premier League with the Reds, Arsenal and Tottenham the reported chasing pack. The 23-year-old admitted in January that it was his ‘dream’ to play for Liverpool issuing a come-and-get-me plea to the Kop. However, the rumours over the Spaniard’s future had cast doubts over whether the Merseyside club would make a move for the Turkish international. Reports this morning suggest that Liverpool are the front-runners for the player’s signature, while concerns over the futures of Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres, and Yossi Benayoun continue to manifest. Spurs and Arsenal are considered to be monitoring the situation.

Reports last week suggested that Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp was ready to offer Mexican midfielder Giovanni Dos Santos plus an undisclosed sum for Arda Turan; a deal which the Turkish giants were planning to reject. Meanwhile Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is dealing with the Cesc Fabregas situation with the Turkish international a possible option if the Spaniard leaves the Gunners for Catalan club Barcelona.

Speaking to Sport.co.uk Arda Turan’s agent earlier this year, Ahmet Bulut revealed that his client was considering his future in Turkey, and that Arsenal and Liverpool were two of the clubs interested in the playmaker’s services:

“Well Arda still has two years to go on his contract, the interested clubs must make a serious offer to Galatasaray, and the club must accept it. His first choice is to play in England, in the Premier League. So, if the offer is a serious one than we can start to talk.

Ahmet Bulut was then asked if Arsenal and Liverpool were among the interested parties:

“There are a few clubs interested, Liverpool are one, and Arsenal. There are no official or concrete offers at the moment but two clubs have spoken about wages. However, in football you never know. The season finishes soon in Turkey, and then Arda will go to the USA with the national team and we will see after that.”

Benitez & Redknapp Go Head-To-Head For Record-Breaker

Croatian goalkeeper Marijan Antolovic is a target for both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool according to HNK Cibalia sporting director Drazen Pernar.

The shot-stopper, who has received rave reviews from respected national team coach Slaven Bilic, set a new club record last term when he went 550 minutes without conceding a goal.

It is understood that the 21-year-old could provide back-up to either Hereulho Gomes at White Hart Lane or Pepe Reina at Anfield next season with the long-term futures of current reserves Carlo Cudicini and Diego Cavilieri under scrutiny from the coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool respectively.

It is understood that Antolovic could be snapped up for a fee in the region of £3 million; a risk worthy fee which could pay dividends should he establish himself as capable of dealing with the physicality of life in the Premier League.

The stopper would certainly represent a signing for the future with both Reina and Gomes earning plaudits at Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur last term for their match-winning heroics between the sticks.

Speaking about Cibalia’s prized asset, Pernar is quoted by The Sun stating:

"Some of the biggest clubs are after Antolovic, like Spurs and Liverpool," Pernar said, according to The Sun.

"Every day we get more enquiries about him."

Alberto Aquilani: I Want To Make It Up To Liverpool FC

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani insists he wants to stay at Anfield as he feels he owes them more after an injury-plagued first season.

The 25-year-old joined Liverpool FC last summer in a £20million deal but was not able to make his debut until late October because of an ankle injury sustained while still at Roma.

Aquilani made just 13 starts last season but finally settled into the starting XI for the last four matches of the campaign.

And despite speculation linking him to a swift return to Italy with Juventus, Aquilani is determined to stay and prove his worth to Liverpool FC manager Rafa Benitez.

"I am staying at Liverpool to make up for many things," he said. "I have finally recovered from my ankle injury.

"Juve have approached me in the past and now I’m reading of their interest, but I really don’t know anything about it."

Liverpool Resume Wilson Talks

Danny Wilson's proposed move to Anfield is back on track despite the defender being ineligible under the Premier League's home-grown rule.

Negotiations between the Reds and Glasgow Rangers had stalled after it emerged that the centre-back would not qualify as a home-grown player under the new guidelines which require a minimum of eight home-grown players, with under-21s spending a minimum of three years at any English or Welsh club, per squad.

But this has undeterred Liverpool who have resumed talks over a move for Wilson following the SPL champions' rejection of a £2million offer in May.

Rangers are keen to cash in on Wilson as they face the threat of him leaving Ibrox next summer on a free transfer after failing to tie him to a new deal.

According to reports in Scotland, Walter Smith is holding out for a fee of £5million for the highly-rated 18-year-old.

Jose Mourinho Hoping To Make It Third Time Lucky With Steven Gerrard

Twice, he failed. As he stands on the cusp of taking over at Real Madrid, he seems determined to make it third time lucky.

Mourinho first approached Liverpool's captain after taking charge at Stamford Bridge in 2004, offering the player a £125,000-a-week contract to leave the club he had been attached to since the age of eight.

But the player's father, Paul, convinced his son to remain at Anfield, despite suggestions Gerrard had even gone so far as texting Mourinho to confirm his intention to join him.

A year later, in the aftermath of the miracle of Istanbul, he came closer still, handing in a transfer request after Liverpool seemed to stall on an improved contract.

Rick Parry, the then chief executive, even went so far as to admit that the player had "made it clear he wants to move on and it looks pretty final."

The next day, Gerrard signed a new, £100,000-a-week, four-year deal, with both sides blaming a breakdown in communication as reason for the stand-off.

Despite persistent links with Inter Milan, Gerrard has not come close to leaving Liverpool since. Now Mourinho is preparing, it seems, another assault, hopeful of a more successful ending.

Tom Hicks: Club Does Not Need To Sell Steven Gerrard Or Fernando Torres

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has hit back at David Moores’ criticism of his ownership of the club, insisting that they are in better shape than when he took over three years ago.

“I’m disappointed because I think we’ve done everything we can to improve the club in so many ways over the past three years from the way it had been run before,” the American told Sky Sports News.

Hicks believes that he and co-owner George Gillet have assembled a good management team during their time at the club, streamlining the club’s commercial ventures and improving hugely on predecessor Moores’ running of the club.

“I think we have a great management team now led by Christian Purslow. The commercial director Ian Ayre has done a great job. We have a strong financial director in Philip Nash.

“We’ve grown our sponsorships from £40 million annually under the last year of Moores’ ownership, to this coming year we’ll do close to £100 million, so all those extra sponsorship revenues are resources for the club to use to support the wage bill to be competitive,” he added.

Hicks went on to reassure the club that Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard will not be leaving the club in the summer and that both he and George Gillet are committed to finding the right owners to move the club forward.

“We have no intention of selling any of our top players. We have a substantial transfer budget in place. There’s so much misinformation about transfer spending.

"It’s more than doubled under the ownership of George and myself from the past three years and we will make significant investment this summer, but it’s really about getting the right players.

“We will sell the club. We’re not going to sell it to the wrong group, we’re not going to sell it for the wrong price. We’re going to take our time and do it in a very thoughtful way and try to find the right steward to own Liverpool Football Club.

“We hope it gets done by the end of the calendar year. I don’t anticipate that it will be done necessarily before the beginning of the next season.

"I think £600-800 million is not an unrealistic value range but, you know, the market’s the market. We’ll see.

"We’re more concerned about finding the right next owner, somebody that can make the investment in the club to get the stadium built and let Liverpool Football Club be the best possible football club in the world.”

David Moores 'Hugely Regrets' Selling Liverpool FC To Gillet And Hicks

Former Liverpool FC owner David Moores admits he "hugely regrets selling the club" to George Gillett and Tom Hicks, calling on the American pair to "accept their role in the club’s current demise" and sell up.

Moores was bought out by the duo three years ago after several failed attempts to sell the club to more financially powerful owners.

However, in that time the current co-owners have fallen out with both the fans and each other, while prompting serious concerns over the club’s debt and overseeing a woeful seventh-placed finish in last season’s Premier League.

In a letter to The Times, Moores insists he sold to Gillett and Hicks in good faith - following assurances about their financial status - but accepts "honest mistakes" were made despite him acting "in the best interests of the club". The lifelong Reds fan admits, however, he "hugely regrets selling the club" to the pair.

In his letter, Moores said their offer "was laid out in unambiguous terms, the document pledged there would be no debt placed upon the club, and significant funds would be made available for investment in the squad and the new stadium".

He added: "I call upon them to stand back, accept their role in the club’s current demise, and stand aside with dignity."

Fernando Torres Casts Doubt Over His Liverpool Future

Fernando Torres has cast doubt over his future at Liverpool by refusing to commit himself to the club and claiming he "didn't read" quotes from his agent on Wednesday, which stated that the striker would remain at Anfield next season.

It has been widely speculated that Torres would leave Liverpool this summer following a hugely disappointing season in which the team finished seventh in the Premier League and struggled in Europe.

Such a possibility appeared less likely after José Antonio Peton, Torres' agent, told Punto Radio in Spain that his client "will continue at Liverpool next season", but the man himself was less forthcoming in his commitment when speaking at Spain's World Cup training camp this morning. Torres suggested that the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the ownership of Liverpool would play a part in his decision.

"I didn't read them," said Torres when asked by the Guardian about Peton's remarks. "The most important thing for me now is the World Cup. My future is the World Cup and then we'll see later. For now and hopefully for the next two months the only thing I am thinking about and talking about is the World Cup."

Asked about the ownership of Liverpool, the 26-year-old added: "That is one of the ways we need to improve. I know the situation, I speak to the chief executive and Rafa [Benítez, the Liverpool manager] every week and I am aware of what is going on. But because I am focusing on the World Cup I don't know what the situation is right now."

Torres is confident he will recover from a knee operation in time for Spain's first match at the World Cup 2010, which is against Switzerland on 16 June.

"I feel better," he said. "I have been training on my own for five weeks with just me and the fitness coach. Hopefully next week I'll be training with the rest of my team-mates. If all goes well I'll be in normal training on Monday.

Liverpool Join In Mauro Boselli Race

Three of the Premier League's other biggest clubs - Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool - will challenge Manchester United in the race to sign Estudiantes striker Mauro Boselli.

According to reports in South America, the 24-year-old is attracting significant interest from England with several scouts keeping close tabs on the Argentinean international.

Despite having only one cap to his name, Boselli could be heading to the World Cup this summer as a surprise choice in Diego Maradona's squad after an impressive season - having scored 24 goals in 34 games.

Several European clubs - including Italian giants Roma and AC Milan - are keen to snap up the pacey striker, although the leading bids are likely to come from the Premier League.

Previously, Manchester United were heavily linked to Boselli after reports that out-of-favour Dimitar Berbatov is set to be sold off to make room for a new crop of forwards alongside star man Wayne Rooney.

United have already announced the signing of Javier Hernandez from Mexican side Chivas, and Boselli could be brought in at the same time to ease the transition of the two players from the Americas.

However, Old Trafford bosses are facing some serious competition from the Premier League's other big-hitters with Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini already aware of Boselli's talent.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez and Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti are also thought to have expressed an interest, which could lead to a pre-World Cup scramble for the player.

Reports of bids from multiple clubs could also increase Boselli's price-tag, which at the moment is thought to be as low as £5million.