Dalglish Cools Fergie Rivalry

Kenny Dalglish has played down talk of the rivalry between himself and Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of the Liverpool and Manchester United match.

The two most successful teams in the country will meet at Anfield on Saturday in the Premier League in what is sure to be a magnificent clash.

Indeed, the rivalry between these two clubs is immense, as is the history between the respective bosses, having clashed for the first time over 20 years ago.

Dalglish is in his second tenure as the manager of the Merseyside giants and his first game in January upon his reappointment was against United at Old Trafford, where Liverpool was beaten.

Revenge of sorts was exacted when Liverpool beat United 3-1 in the league at Anfield in March, which was their third successive victory in the league at home against their old foes.

Yet Dalglish, who won a host of trophies in his first spell as manager at the club, insists he is not motivated by getting one over Ferguson.

"I don't have any individual contest with Fergie," he said.

"These are football clubs that are playing - we don't play anymore. We can't influence anything other than what we do in the build-up and preparation for the games.

"The most important thing for us is how we compete on the pitch as a team. Head to head (against Ferguson)? I wouldn't have a clue what the score is in that and it doesn't really matter to me.

"I am in competition with him because we are playing against them on Saturday but over and above that we are a unit.

"Everyone has an important role to play and if I continue to do my job, the players do theirs, the fans and owners do theirs we will be much better off.

"It is not about someone getting one over on someone else - it is about the football club."

Anfield Atmosphere Can Inspire Liverpool Win Over Man United - Hansen

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen believes that the home atmosphere at Anfield could inspire the Reds to record a victory over rivals Manchester United on Saturday.

The former defender was impressed by the noise levels when his beloved Liverpool faced Bolton at home in August, and feels things can only get better in a big match such as this weekend’s.

“Another potentially important factor is the Anfield atmosphere on Saturday,” Hansen wrote in LFC Magazine.

“I was at the Bolton game at Anfield in August and while, with all due respect to them, Bolton will never be the biggest game of the season, the atmosphere was electric.

“I don't think Manchester United's players will be frightened by the noise levels on Saturday, but Liverpool's players could be inspired by it.

“If you're playing in that sort of atmosphere and you know the crowd is right behind you it definitely gives you an edge.

“On Saturday, Kenny would love the crowd to be in full voice and for Anfield to be bouncing because when it is, there is simply nowhere better.”

The ex-Scotland international, now a pundit, made 434 league appearances for the Reds between 1977 and 1991.

Liverpool Face £8m EPL Fight Over Striker

Long-term Liverpool target Ola Toivonen is being linked with a move to Sunderland.

The Swedish international striker was heavily linked with a move to Anfield whilst the Reds were under the stewardship of Roy Hodgson, who still had connections from his time in Scandinavia.

However, replacement Kenny Dalgish was also thought to be keen on the PSV Eindhoven forward, who impressed Liverpool scouts with his form in the Eredivisie.

TalkSPORT now claim Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has taken a keen interest in the £8 million-rated player, who scored the goal that sent his country through to the Euro 2012 finals in a 3-2 win over Holland in midweek.

The Black Cats are in the market for a striker after Asamoah Gyan left the club on a season-long loan move to Al-Ain, with Bruce admitting it will be hard for the Ghanaian to ever return to the Stadium of Light.

Clubs across Europe, most notably Italy, have also taken a keen interest in the player, whilst Liverpool is also thought to be in the market for a striker.

Dalglish spent big on his appointment as Liverpool manager, bringing Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll to the club, but a lack of strength-in-depth in the position means Toivonen remains a realistic option for the Reds.

Jeffrey Schlupp and Brek Shea have also been linked with moves to Merseyside, but Toivonen would represent the experienced option as Liverpool look to challenge for the Champions League once again this season.

John Henry Discussed TV Plan With The Glazer Family

The Glazer family discussed the possibility of individual selling of overseas television rights with John W Henry and his colleagues at Liverpool before club chief executive Ian Ayre floated the subject this week, The Daily Telegraph understands.

Ayre’s suggestion that the biggest clubs in the league abandon the Premier League’s collective selling model and exploit their overseas rights individually has met with opposition from the league and clubs concerned that it would ultimately weaken the competition.

Manchester United has also distanced themselves from the comments, but the Glazers and Liverpool’s ownership are thought to have discussed the implications of such a move during talks earlier this year.

Sources have suggested that Liverpool believe they are not a lone voice among Premier League owners even after the lack of public support yesterday for Ayre’s comments.

Despite their clubs’ rivalries, set to be renewed on Saturday at Anfield, the American owners at Manchester United and Liverpool are said to be close and to consult on a number of issues relating to their English football interests.

The Glazers are acutely aware of the value of United’s brand around the world and television rights issue are the most valuable way of exploiting that value. For now they have made no formal move to challenge the collective model, but the very fact the issue has been discussed with Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group, even in abstract terms, indicates that it is on their radar.

The Premier League remains confident that there is still overwhelming support for their collective selling of television rights, even among those clubs with the largest global fan-base and potentially most to gain.

Bruce Buck and Ivan Gazidis, the respective Chelsea and Arsenal chief executives, spoke in favour of the collective selling of rights at last week’s Leaders in Football conference at Stamford Bridge. Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, also recently outlined his belief that Premier League clubs should split their broadcast revenue. “We’d love to have our own but I don’t think it should happen that way,” said Ferguson. “It’s quite fair to have all equal shares.”

In his interview with Telegraph Sport, Arsenal’s new majority owner Stan Kroenke spoke of his experience in American football and the success of rules which maintain a competitive balance in the National Football League.

The Premier League believes that the huge growth in their global popularity is underpinned by their success in delivering matches that are generally very competitive. In Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid earn around 12 times more than their rivals by selling their television rights individually, yet no club has finished within 20 points of them for the past two years.

The Government yesterday also outlined its support for the Premier League’s current model. “It’s a provocative kite to fly,” said sports minister Hugh Robertson.

“One of the strengths of the English game has been collective selling. I don’t want our league which, in many ways, is this country’s greatest sporting export to be like other less competitive leagues elsewhere in the continent. I think the collective selling rights is a crucial part of maintaining the Premier League’s primacy.”

For Liverpool to initiate any change in how the Premier League distributes its £1.4 billion overseas broadcast deal, they would need to secure support from 14 of the 20 clubs.

Dalglish Hails Reds Owners

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has paid a glowing tribute to the club's owners as they prepare to celebrate a year in charge of the Anfield outfit.

Saturday's eagerly-anticipated Premier League clash with Manchester United marks the anniversary of the arrival of John W Henry's Fenway Sports Group on Merseyside.

And Dalglish, who replaced Roy Hodgson at the helm earlier this year, feels the Americans measure up to the men who were in charge of the Merseyside outfit during his first stint as manager back in the 1980s.

Sir John Smith and Peter Robinson were the men in the boardroom for a much more successful spell in the club's history, but Dalglish believes the latest incumbents are already guiding the club in the right direction after just 12 months.

"The greatest compliment I can pay to them is that they're as good as the people who ran the club the first time I was here," he told the club's official website.

"That's a hell of a statement because the people who ran the club then, Sir John Smith and Peter Robinson, were two of the best any football club could ever have had.

"John, Tom Werner and the rest of the investors that have supported this football club have been absolutely fantastic.

"Since I came in January they've been nothing but supportive towards what we have to do. Their ambitions and aims are exactly the same as our most ardent fan - they want to have the success that everyone craves. And they've started off very encouragingly.

"We wish them a happy birthday and if we can get a win to put the icing on the cake then fine, we'll be happy with that.

"But irrespective of the result it won't take away how good they are as owners."

Henry Admits To Overspending

Liverpool owner John W Henry concedes he may have overspent on some players, but believes it was important to put down a marker.

Since completing a takeover at Anfield in October 2010, the Fenway Sports Group has pumped £110.5million into the pursuit of fresh faces.

The likes of Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing have been snapped up for big money, with the Reds aware of the need to spend in order to compete.

Liverpool are not FSG's sole sporting enterprise either, with £191m in new payroll commitments taken on with the Boston Red Sox at the start of the current baseball season.

Henry believes building for the future on both sides of the Atlantic will have long-term benefits and is surprised to have seen the considerable investment draw criticism from some quarters.

"There was a lot of criticism in Boston that we weren't going to spend money on the Red Sox after we did the LFC transaction," Henry told the Guardian.

"We spent something like $300m in the off-season in Boston, and then there was the fear we wouldn't spend in Liverpool.

"It is really surprising, ironic, to be now accused of overspending. Usually owners are accused of the opposite.

"Hopefully the fans of both clubs will eventually see what we see clearly - that there is nothing to fear from the existence of the other club and that Fenway Sports Group is much stronger financially because of Boston and Liverpool."

Pressed on whether he felt some of his acquisitions were yet to provide full value for money, Henry said: "Choosing players in any sport is an imperfect science. We certainly have been guilty of overspending on some players, and that can be tied to an analytical approach that hasn't worked well enough."

As FSG get set to celebrate their first anniversary at the Anfield helm, Henry has also revealed that he initially had reservations about bringing Kop legend Kenny Dalglish back to the club.

Roy Hodgson was at the helm at the time of the takeover and Henry admits he was sceptical about re-appointing a man who had been out of management for 11 years.

"Kenny is certainly charismatic and beloved by the fans," he added.

"I wasn't convinced when we arrived that Kenny should be back managing and I wanted things to work with the manager we inherited. But the fans knew much more than I did. It took me a while to get up to speed. Then Ian Ayre (whom FSG appointed as managing director) was a catalyst.

"(Director of football) Damien (Comolli) was a gamble. Kenny was a gamble. But they were both calculated gambles.

"They both have the advantage of being passionate about their work and are both very clever. We didn't feel we had a lot of time to wait, and we hope things turned around."

Marsh Eyes Home Comforts

Mike Marsh is hoping his U18s side can rise to the occasion and get their first home victory of the new season when Manchester United visit Kirkby on Friday.

Marsh's charges have yet to record a victory on home turf so far with their best form coming on the road, but the U18s coach is happy with their overall displays in 2011-12.

He told Liverpoolfc.tv: "There is a little bit of added spice because we are playing United and it would be great for the boys to win, but no-one is getting anxious about getting our first win at home. I think our performances overall have been good.

"One or two things haven't gone our way but I think we could have won every one of the games we've played at home.

"We are pleased with how it's going and we are trying to play in the right way like a Liverpool team should. If we keep going in that direction then I think results will improve."

United might have lost their last three games at U18 level but Marsh is expecting a tough encounter for his side.

He added: "Man United are a little bit like ourselves. They play within the rules that are set down and actually play U18s in their side rather than over age players. I've got a lot of time for the way they approach Academy football."

Liverpool did the double over United at U18 level last season, including a breathtaking display at Kirkby that saw the Reds hammer their arch-rivals 6-0 back in April.

"It was a very good result but United had a very young side out that day because they were preparing for the FA Youth Cup final," Marsh added.

"They had a lot of young players out that day who will probably play against us on Friday."

Joe Januszewski Played Key Role In Liverpool FC Takeover

John Henry and Tom Werner dominated the spotlight a year ago but there was another member of Fenway Sports Group who was key to their takeover of Liverpool FC.

Joe Januszewski, the senior vice president of Corporate Sales and Fenway Enterprises, is also one of Boston’s most passionate Reds fans.

The son of a serving military man who was based for many years in Europe, Januszewski fell in love with football as a boy. And in particular he fell in love with Liverpool.

In recent years Joe’s office at Fenway Park Boston, has been adorned with pictures of Liverpool’s players and their successes, as well as images of Red Sox stars.

It was the email cry for help which, as a desperately worried fan himself, he sent to Henry and Red Sox chief executive Larry Lucchino a few months earlier which triggered their interest in buying Liverpool.

Januszewski said: “I told them to monitor the ownership situation.

“My interest in the situation was as a fan. But also as a businessman who follows sport. I told John that maybe we should take a look at this opportunity.

“I told him my bags are always packed for Liverpool and that I know a great couple of places to eat if you need a tour guide.”

Liverpool & Arsenal On Alert As German Midfielder Considers Foreign Move

Werder Bremen star Marko Marin has suggested that he could be on his way out of the club but only to a team abroad, putting the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal on alert.

The 22-year-old midfielder has attracted the interest of a host of top European clubs with the Gunners and Liverpool both reportedly sending scouts to watch him this season.

Arsenal is keen to bolster their midfield following the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas and have reportedly identified Marin as a possible long-term replacement.

Meanwhile, Liverpool is eager to increase their attacking options and is thought to be impressed by the German international's creativity and versatility.

And Marin, who can play either as an attacking midfielder or on the wing, has admitted that he could leave Bremen but would only make a move for a a foreign club.

"Werder Bremen is a top club in Germany and I am under contract with Werder Bremen. Therefore I would just consider top clubs from outside Germany," he said.

"But I am actually focused on Werder Bremen and I do not plan to move on. We want to get back to Europe this season via success in the Bundesliga. This is of utmost importance for me."

Liverpool Bid For Angelo Ogbonna Expected By Torino

Torino is reportedly waiting for Liverpool to formalize their interest in Angelo Ogbonna.

The 23-year-old defender has consistently been linked with a move to Merseyside in recent days as the Reds line up potential targets for the January transfer window.

Now, according to various reports in the Italian press, Torino are expecting Liverpool to make an offer of €16 million in attempt to bring Ogbonna to Anfield in the New Year.

A move to Liverpool would certainly appeal to the Italy international who, over the weekend, revealed he was flattered by the Reds' interest.

"I am flattered by the interest from clubs, but I will continue to work hard for Torino in Serie B," he told skysports.com.

"Liverpool is a dream club. If they are interested in me, that is awesome. I love the Premier League and one day I might play in that league."

Tottenham To Rival Liverpool In Bid To Sign Senegal Striker

Tottenham and Liverpool are currently going head-to-head in a battle to sign Lille's prolific striker Moussa Sow, according to caughtoffside.com.

The 25-year-old Senegal international, with Gervinho and Eden Hazard, formed part of a lethal attacking trio last season that secured Lille's first Ligue 1 title in 57 years.

He finished the French season as top scorer with 25 goals and his fine form has not gone unnoticed with Spurs and Liverpool both reportedly circling.

Reds manager Kenny Dalglish is eager to add more firepower to his squad to support first-choice strikers Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.

Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli is thought to be in close contact with Lille and is confident that Joe Cole's loan move to the French club will work in their favour when it comes to negotiating Sow's transfer.

Meanwhile, Spurs are reportedly eager not to miss out on another forward target and will rival any attempts by Liverpool in the January transfer window.

Although the club brought in Emmanuel Adebayor on-loan, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is desperate to sign a permanent striker and is reportedly willing to sell Roman Pavlyuchenko to fund the deal.

It is thought Lille will reluctantly listen to offers as Sow has already expressed a strong desire to leave for the Premier League and the club will accommodate offers of around £12m.

Man Utd Rival Liverpool & Arsenal For Plymouth Argyle Starlet

Plymouth Argyle youngster Matt Lecointe is attracting interest from England's biggest clubs.

The Mirror claims Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all chasing the 16-year-old right winger who has made ten appearances already despite his young age.

Lecointe has been attracting a host of top flight scouts and all of the clubs are likely to begin a battle to snap him up as quickly as possible.

Plymouth-born Lecointe has been compared to Arsenal sensation Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain because of his style and age.

Liverpool Defender Sebastian Coates Biding His Time At Anfield

Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates is biding his time at Anfield as he fights for a first team place under Kenny Dalglish.

The Uruguayan international centre back, signed from Nacional in the summer transfer window, has made two appearances for the Reds thus far, with a start in the League Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion and substitute appearance against Tottenham Hotspur his two tastes of English football thus far.

Whilst things didn't go according to plan at White Hart Lane (Liverpool lost 4-0), Coates believes he's a better player for the experience but understands that he will probably have to wait for more opportunities to come his way as he tries to settle into Merseyside life.

"I'm trying to adapt as quickly as possible. I had to play [against Spurs] and that was very good, although I understand that I will have to wait for my time as there are very good players at Liverpool who have many years in the club," the 21-year-old told Uruguayan paper Ocavion.

"Over the last week we've luckily played on very nice days, but the climate is quite strange. Learning the language also takes quite a lot of time, and we're both helping each other learn."

Coates is, of course, referring to club teammate and international compatriot Luis Suarez.

Having joined Ajax in 2007, the 24-year-old has much more experience when it comes to living and working away from home, and more importantly settling quickly to life in a new environment.

As well as helping the youngster, Suarez has taken his own steps to integrate with colleagues and fans of Liverpool, and took a major step against Everton after claiming the man of the match award at Goodison Park.

"I'm Seba's godfather here but it seems by now he's become a son. I think I have two kids now, a girl and a boy!" said Suarez when talking to the same paper.

"In the Everton match I had been voted man of the match and they asked me if I wanted to talk. I decided to try it and it turned out I did pretty well.

"It's part of what we have to experience there. I was emotional and excited, so some of it came out well and some came out wrong. I need to experiment further."

Liverpool Consider TV Future

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre believes the option for Premier League clubs to sell their overseas television rights on an individual basis would be a 'game-changer'.

The league's broadcast rights outside of the United Kingdom are presently sold in a joint package, which is worth £3.2billion for 2010-13 to be shared equally among the 20 clubs.

But Ayre claims the system is unfair on the higher-profile clubs, arguing they attract more viewers and more subscriptions, and he has advocated the adoption of the Spanish model.

There, individual clubs have the freedom to negotiate their own packages, meaning Real Madrid and Barcelona's earnings will dwarf those of the lesser Primera Division teams - and those of the top English sides, who are restricted to their share of the league's earnings.

Ayre said: "Personally I think the game-changer is going out and recognizing our brand globally. Maybe the path will be individual TV rights like they do in Spain.

"If you're a Bolton fan in Bolton, then you subscribe to Sky because you want to watch Bolton. But if you're in Kuala Lumpur there isn't anyone subscribing to Astro or ESPN to watch Bolton, or if they are it's a very small number. The large majority are subscribing to watch Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal.

"What we are actually doing is disadvantaging ourselves against other big European clubs. If Real Madrid or Barcelona or other big European clubs have the opportunity to realize their international media value potential, where does that leave Liverpool and Manchester United? We'll just share ours because we'll all be nice to each other? The whole phenomenon of the Premier League could be threatened.

"If they just get bigger and bigger and they generate more and more, then all the players will start drifting that way and will the Premier League bubble burst because we are sticking to this equal-sharing model? It's a real debate that has to happen."

Clubs Unimpressed With Ayre TV Claims

Rival clubs have distanced themselves from Liverpool's demand for more cash from television rights - with one top-flight chairman claiming the move would "kill the heart and soul" of English football.

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said the bigger clubs should get a greater share of the £1.4billion overseas TV cash - currently shared equally between all 20 clubs.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all understood to be against a change to the collective selling principle.

Manchester City chief communications office Vicky Kloss said: "The subject has never been up for debate either inside the club or externally.

"We are well aware of the benefits of the collective selling of Premier League television rights."

United has always been a supporter of collective selling and chief executive David Gill told a Parliamentary committee earlier this year: "The collective selling of the television rights has clearly been a success and it has made things more competitive."

Meanwhile, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan reacted with outrage.

He told goal.com: "I have just read his [Ayre's] comments and I find them diabolical - I just can't believe what he has been saying.

"They are thinking 'how can we get more money?' You won't get more money by killing the heart and soul of the Premier League and killing the heart and soul of football in England.

"We invented the game and we have still got the finest league in the whole world and some of the finest supporters in the whole world and they want to rip the whole thing up."

Ayre pointed out that Barcelona and Real Madrid sell their own TV rights and earn considerably more.

He said: "Is it right that the international rights are shared equally between all the clubs?

"At some point we feel there has to be some rebalance on that, because what we are actually doing is disadvantaging ourselves against other big European clubs."

Whelan added: "The worst thing for English football is for teams like Liverpool - the top four let's say - who want to get rid of virtually half the Premier League. We will finish up like the Spanish league with just two teams in it, no competition, no anything, no heart and soul in the league.

"What we have is the finest league in the whole world and what Liverpool is calling for would absolutely wreck it. The likes of Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Wolves, Sunderland and Newcastle couldn't compete."

Henry Knew Little About Reds

Liverpool owner John W Henry admits he knew 'virtually nothing' about the club or English football before completing a takeover in October 2010.

His Fenway Sports Group (FSG) helped to oust fellow Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks from the Anfield boardroom last year.

Their arrival was greeted with much fanfare in the red half of Merseyside, with it felt that changes at the top were vital if the club were to move forward on and off the field.

FSG are set to celebrate their one-year anniversary as Liverpool owners on Saturday and believe they have made progress during that time.

New players have been drafted in, Kenny Dalglish has returned as manager and results have started to improve.

Henry is pleased with how his first 12 months at Anfield have unfolded, especially as he came into the post virtually blind to the challenge he was taking on.

He has, however, been a success in his homeland with the Boston Red Sox baseball team and believes parallels can be drawn between his two sporting enterprises.

Henry believes he can help revive Liverpool's fortunes both at home and abroad, but concedes that he knew little of the financial difficulties and the size of the task facing him when he arrived.

"We knew virtually nothing about Liverpool Football Club nor EPL (the Barclays Premier League)." He told The Guardian.

Tom Werner, who is now Liverpool's chairman, also had limited knowledge of the Reds, but claims to have been aware that FSG were buying into a global brand.

"I had been in sports so I was aware of the EPL and its strength globally," Werner said.

"But I didn't know the inner workings of it. I certainly knew about Manchester United."

Reds & Spurs Suffer Blow In Striker Chase

AC Milan have emerged as the favourites to sign Liverpool and Tottenham target Leandro Damiao, it has been claimed.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan sent sporting director Ariedo Braida to Brazil in order to open talks with Internacional regarding the proposed signing of the Brazil international.

Despite Liverpool and Spurs both tracking Damiao, Milan are thought to have the advantage due to their good relationship with Internacional.

Milan signed Alexandre Pato from the Brazilian club four years ago, and have maintained amicable contact ever since.

"Braida surely will take advantage of the preferential relations with Internacional, where Pato has already been taken," Stefano Castagna - an agent close to the deal - told TMW.

"He'll be able to work without intermediaries, but will have to deal with competition from half of Europe."

Reports have suggested Liverpool No.2 Steve Clarke has also scouted Damiao, and the Reds are since alleged to have been considering a January offer.

It has been claimed Liverpool are prepared to part with £17 million in order to bring him to Anfield.

Dalglish To Continue Pursuit Of Man City Winger With January Offer

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish will continue his pursuit of Manchester City winger Adam Johnson by making an approach for the England midfielder in January.

The former Middlesbrough winger joined Manchester City in January 2010 on a four-and-a-half-year contract and it appeared as though he would go on to become a first team regular.

However, Johnson has struggled to make an impression under Roberto Mancini and has often found himself on the bench thanks to the superb form of David Silva and new signing Samir Nasri.

It is believed that Dalglish tried to sign the winger during the summer and is still interested in signing the 24-year-old when the January transfer window opens.

Liverpool strengthened their midfield over the summer with the arrivals of Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, but it seems the Scottish manager is still not happy with his options in wide positions.

Johnson has the ability to play on either wing and would certainly add more attacking options from wide positions for Liverpool.

The Reds may struggle to convince Manchester City to sell one of the players as the club has always stated that they will not sell to a rival Premier League club.

Should Johnson continue to find himself warming the bench then the chance to play regular first team football at Liverpool may be enough to convince the player to force a move.

According to footybunker.com, Liverpool would have to bid somewhere in the region of £10-£15million to persuade City to sell the exciting winger.

Kenny Dalglish Ready To Snap Up Nicholas Hunziker

Liverpool are ready to seal a deal for Swiss striker Nicolas Hunziker, according to The Mirror.

The 15-year-old scored a hat-trick for his country's youth team on debut and has received rave reviews from the Anfield.

Kenny Dalglish reportedly sent his chief scout to watch Hunziker during the weekend, leaving Liverpool as favourites to land the striker.

As well as spending over £100 this year on their first team squad, Liverpool have also installed a policy of bringing in young players to bolster their youth ranks, with striker Marco Bueno and Nacho both joining in the summer.

The signing of Hunziker would represent another attempt to secure a successful future for the club under Fenway Sports Group's tenure at Liverpool.

England youth internationals John Flanagan, Martin Kelly and Jack Robinson, all broke through during last season.

Big-Spenders Deny Move For Reds Skipper

Anzhi Makhachkala manager Roberto Carlos has rebuffed suggestions he wants to sign Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, as well as numerous other high-profile players.

The Brazilian World Cup winner has frequently been in the press in recent weeks having made ambitious claims that mega-rich Anzhi are eyeing some of Europe's top players.

Along with Liverpool captain Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Robin van Persie also feature on the supposed shopping list of the Russian club.

"I am having dinner with the president tonight and we'll speak about signings for next season, names like Lampard, Gerrard and Pires," Carlos is alleged to have said.

Billionaire backed Anzhi are attempting to become football's next superpower and, should they attempt to sign Gerrard from Liverpool, the Anfield club would do well no to entertain a potentially substantial fee.

However, the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal may be able to rest easy now, after Carlos claimed the quotes attributed to him are entirely false. The 38-year-old will now impose a media blackout.

"Words are attributed to me about mythical new signings, whose names at times are a total surprise," he told Ria Novosti.

"Not in one interview did I utter any concrete names. From this moment, I am not giving any more interviews to allow me to concentrate completely on my work as a coach at Anzhi."