GWistooshort

Dan Roan of the BBC says NESV are "a profitable business that has no history of leveraged takeovers" & also that they were introduced to Liverpool by Inner Circle Sports, "the deal-making company that brokered the arrival of Hicks and Gillett". http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/danroan/2010/10/what_now_for_liverpool_fans.html

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From the Echo yesterday........... Liverpool Echo Sep 25 2010 Merseyside MPs meeting Liverpool FC managing director to discuss club’s future by Laura Jones THREE Merseyside MPs have thrown their weight behind Liverpool FC’s managing director after a meeting to discuss the club’s future. Following the talks the Labour politicians Steve Rotheram, Alison McGovern and Derek Twigg gave Christian Purslow and the club’s non-owner directors their backing. Wirral South MP Ms McGovern told the ECHO: “My in box is full of people who are worried about what’s happening to the club. “I think it has got to a stage where people don’t know what to do. “Emailing your MP shows how frustrated the fans are – it’s what you do as a last resort.” The delegation met with Mr Purslow on Thursday seeking assurances for those fans that the club’s future is secure. In a joint statement released afterwards they said: “We are conscious that a crucial deadline is looming which has increased the anxiety of supporters, thousand of whom have contacted us. “We came away with the clear view that everything possible is being done by Chairman, Martin Broughton, Chief Executive Christian Purslow and Commercial Director Ian Ayre to secure a buyer that will be right for Liverpool Football Club and will take the club forward. “It is important that the club gets things right this time regarding its future ownership and we believe the independent members of the Board deserve the backing of the club’s supporters.” Earlier this week Mr Purslow met with fans, telling them that the three non-owner directors, himself, Mr Broughton and Mr Ayre, were ready to block any attempt by co-owner Tom Hicks to refinance the club’s debts with RBS against its assets. He said: “Any occurance of indebtedness by Liverpool FC needs board approval. “The non-owner directors have made it clear that that is not what we want to see happen.” Walton MP Mr Rotheram said: “The future of Liverpool FC and the building of a new stadium is crucial to the regeneration of the Anfield area and I emphasised this during our meeting with Christian Purslow. “We need to bring an end to this saga and the uncertainty that has helped create such horrendous conditions for residents living in the area.” On the return of Parliament in October Merseyside MPs will be putting down an early day motion to further highlight the concerns of supporters to secure a sale in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club and not of any one group or individual. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/25/merseyside-mps-meeting-liverpool-fc-managing-director-to-discuss-club-s-future-100252-27339174/

The Daily Mirror 21/09/10 Kop fans take major step in KO'ing Yank owners By David Maddock Liverpool fans have won a major battle in their fight to oust their American owners. Irate supporters have mounted an increasingly hostile campaign to persuade financial groups not to extend any more credit to keep Tom Hicks and George Gillett in power at Anfield. The pair need to refinance a debt of more than £230million by early October or risk losing their hold on the club. They have courted current lenders RBS and at least 10 other banks and investment companies in a desperate attempt to get the money which will allow them to take back control of the club from the current board. Buit the Mirror can reveal that the pair have been told that the political situation at the club is too volatile to contemplate any major investment backing their massively unpopular regime. Reports over the weekend suggested that Hicks – who has been left isolated in his attempts to keep his hold over Liverpool after partner Gillett has hit the financial rocks – was close to agreeing an agreement to refinance his loans with the Blackstone investment group, who specialise in troubled finance. But we understand that – because of the fans’ campaign – Blackstone actually held talks with Hicks three weeks ago, and told him then that they couldn’t support him. Hicks has also drawn a blank with FBR Capital Markets, and at least two other groups he has courted, and it seems that he may not be able to wriggle his way out of the latest mess. The Americans need to refinance because RBS are due to call in loans in October. If that happens and they can’t find alternative funding, then they will effectively lose control to the bank. Under their last loan agreement with RBS the pair agreed to hand over executive control to board members Christian Purslow, Ian Ayre and chairman Martin Broughton. Those three have stood against any refinancing – despite legal threats – because they don’t see that as being in the interests of the club’s long term future. Hicks knows that with Gillett going under after defaulting on loans relating to Liverpool in the States, his only chance of selling the club at a profit rest on him getting control back by finding new loans. Instead, it seems RBS will now take over the sale of the club and find a willing buyer, even if it is at a price vastly below the £600m Hicks is said to need to make any money out of his investment in Liverpool. The club could even be sold as low as £300million, which will see the Americans out of pocket. Fans group were cautiously optimistic last night that the despised Hicks-Gillett reign could finally be on the verge of collapse, but they insisted they will continue to fight until the pair are gone. KopFaithful is the organisation behind a a huge and successful campaign to lobby the RBS and every other financial institution, making clear the massive fans’ opposition to refinance, and a spokesman said last night: “We are encouraged by the latest news, but we remind every Liverpool fan that the fight is not over until the Americans are out of our club. “We want to make it clear to anyone that Hicks talks to, that if they underwrite his attempt to hold onto out club and extend his disastrous regime then they will face a backlash from millions of angry Liverpool fans. “The current board at Anfield have made clear their opposition to the thought of any refinancing, because they believe that it would not be good for the future of the club, and we hope that no bank will lend money to the Americans when the people running the club are telling them not to.” http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liverpool-takeover-Tom-Hicks-and-George-Gillett-have-been-told-that-the-political-situation-at-the-club-is-too-volatile-to-contemplate-any-major-investment-article585241.html

The Independent Tuesday 21 September 2010 Private equity group scuppers Hicks' plan Prospect of fire sale grows as co-owner's latest attempt to shore up control of Liverpool falls through By Ian Herbert, Deputy Football Correspondent Tom Hicks' eleventh-hour attempt to retain control of Liverpool in the teeth of bitter opposition from fans took another blow yesterday when it emerged that Blackstone Group, the private equity firm, has decided against providing loans to help him avert a sale. GSO Capital Partners, Blackstone's debt restructuring arm, is understood to have considered an involvement with Hicks but has now walked away. Blackstone, in which the Chinese Investment Corporation has a 20 per cent stake, appeared to represent Hicks' best hope of paying down a large chunk of the £237m debt with which he and co-owner George Gillett have saddled the club. That could secure time to find a buyer willing to enable Hicks and Gillett to walk away from Anfield with a profit on the £218.9m they paid for the club in 2007. The news of GSO's removal from the picture will not come as any disappointment to the club's executive chairman, Martin Broughton, who was appointed in April as one of Royal Bank of Scotland's conditions for extending its loan to the Americans for a further six months and who does not savour the idea of Hicks staying on at Liverpool under any circumstances. It is unclear precisely when GSO indicated it was not interested, though there had been some optimism in the Hicks camp as recently as the weekend that a deal might be forthcoming, possibly through Blackstone taking a share in Liverpool in return for an investment of around £180m. That route is now closed and Hicks and Gillett seem to be another step closer to being forced out, taking a major loss on their initial investment and living to regret their decisions both to demand unrealistic prices for the club and to refuse a degree of control to those, in the case of the US-based Rhône Group, who offered £110m for a 40 per cent share. After GSO's decision, RBS seems to hold the cards in terms of the club's future. In 18 days, the terms of a £237m loan expire and if no alternative lending institution can be found, the bank's options are to foreclose on the loan, take control and seek a buyer itself – an option it has not favoured to date – or else to agree to yet another refinancing, which is not in the club's interests, though it could secure Broughton and his team more time to find a new buyer. The endgame will bring a more modest price for the club, though that is no disaster for Broughton since a sale at a lower price may be more likely to bring a credible buyer, who will not line the Americans' pockets. Rhône said when its £110m offer was initially tabled that it did not rule out returning with another bid, though it is an outright sale, removing Hicks and Gilllett from the scene, which Broughton is looking for. There are understood to be no new developments in the search for a buyer as the 6 October deadline to satisfy RBS looms. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/private-equity-group-scuppers-hicks-plan-2084773.html

The Daily Telegraph 20 September 2010 Tom Hicks courts hedge fund Blackstone in desperate bid to stay in control at Liverpool By Rory Smith Tom Hicks’s last-ditch plan to retain control of Liverpool would see the hedge fund Blackstone offer the club a substantial equity injection to reduce Anfield’s debt burden to about £100 million – a similar offer to that turned down by the Texan from the Rhône Group in April. It was Hicks’s refusal to countenance an offer from Rhône, which had offered £110 million for a 40 per cent stake in the club, prompting the Royal Bank of Scotland, which holds the majority of Liverpool’s £282 million debt, to appoint Martin Broughton as chairman and instruct Barclays Capital to secure new owners for Anfield. That Hicks is now prepared not just to consider such an offer but actively to court Blackstone, one of 11 potential investors identified by Barcap, according to a document received by the supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly, is a measure of how desperate he is to remain at Anfield despite agreeing to sell the club six months ago. Hicks called a full board meeting in London last Wednesday and informed Broughton of his intention to agree a package that would enable him to remain at Anfield beyond the early October deadline set by RBS for the repayment of its loans. The Texan’s plan centres on being granted a loan to refinance £100 million of Liverpool’s debt – all but wiping the RBS loan from the balance sheet – and seeing Blackstone inject as much as £180 million of equity into the club. Though that would greatly reduce Liverpool’s headline debt figure and the onerous interest repayments which have hamstrung the club for so long under the tenure of Hicks and George Gillett, his partner, Liverpool would not be cleared of debt entirely. There also remains some doubt over whether Hicks plans for Blackstone to take shares in the club in exchange for their cash injection or whether the equity would involve high-interest payment in kind notes, like those employed by the Glazers at Manchester United. Hicks’s plan is likely to be opposed by Broughton, managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre, the remaining three members of Liverpool’s board. It is not known, though, whether they would be able to block such a move, and the legal firm Slaughter and May has been engaged to assess their options. The Premier League would also have to approve any substantial change to the ownership structure to ensure that Liverpool would be able to meet their debt obligations and were not at risk of failing to fulfil their fixture requirements for the season. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8012321/Tom-Hicks-courts-hedge-fund-Blackstone-in-desperate-bid-to-stay-in-control-at-Liverpool.html

The Independent Monday 20 September 2010 Hicks ready to give up share of Liverpool By Ian Herbert Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks' 11th-hour bid to hold onto his control of the club is understood to involve him offering a minority share to the global investment firm GSO Capital Partners, a subsidiary of the Blackstone group, and substantially reducing the underlying level of debt, which he needs to refinance imminently. The Blackstone "equity rise" would, as Hicks envisages it, see the underlying level of debt reduced to around £100m. That would mean GSO committing £180m, with co-owner George Gillett apparently on the way out. As of last night, there was no confirmation that GSO is ready to go in with Hicks, with whom it has had a working relationship in the past; how much control GSO would want at Anfield; or whether new lenders would be needed to take on the remaining £100m debt when the terms of the current loans with the Royal Bank of Scotland expire on 8 October. Ironically, the device Hicks seems to be using to hold on at Anfield is precisely the one that managing director Christian Purslow used in his attempt to reduce the club's debt earlier this year. But when the New York-based Rhône Group came in with a £110m offer for a 40 per cent share, with a demand that it have a meaningful say in the running of the club in return for that investment, Hicks dismissed it. If Hicks wants to borrow from another source to refinance the £237m debt,it seems he would have to offer the club as security and there appears to be no question of Liverpool's non- executive chairman Martin Broughton, Purslow or commercial director Ian Ayre sanctioning that. Hicks believes he can drive any such action through despite the stance of other board members , who are understood to have engaged legal firm Slaughter and May to assess their options. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/hicks-ready-to-give-up-share-of-liverpool-2083885.html

The Mirror 15/09/10 Hodgson faces a battle to take Reds back to where they belong By Kenny Dalglish It was right for everybody that Rafa Benitez left – for him and for Liverpool ­Football Club. There just comes a stage in every manager’s career when the board says, ‘You’ve been good for the club but we feel it would be best if you go.’ Sometimes it works the same way for a manager – ‘I’ve done my time. There’s no animosity but it’s time to have a go somewhere else.’ When it was clear Rafa was going, Christian Purslow asked me to get involved in the selection process for the next manager. “I’ll help in any way I possibly can,” I told Christian. They drew up a list, asked me to come and meet the candidates and then let them decide who the manager should be. In mid-June, I had to let them know my real views. I wanted the job. I couldn’t miss the opportunity. One day, I was in a meeting with Christian and the chairman, Martin Broughton, and I formally put my name forward. “We don’t want you, Kenny,” came the reply from Christian and the chairman. Fine. That’s their ­prerogative. They explained they had different plans for me, a position with greater longevity. “We want you for a role at the club that would be for longer than the tenure of the manager,” the board told me. The job focused on player ­development. It wasn’t management, though. Martin Broughton made that ­abundantly clear. People have asked me whether I was disappointed, and of course I was. I passionately wanted the job. But I would have been more disappointed if I hadn’t put my name forward. I love Liverpool so deeply I felt almost an obligation to apply. This was about helping Liverpool more than reviving my management career. If another club came in and asked me to be their manager, I honestly don’t know how I’d react. Liverpool’s my home. There was no self-glory attached to my application. I did feel I had unfinished business with the job, though, since my previous tenure was aborted in 1991. But I was enjoying myself with the Academy, going in, helping the kids and attending matches at Anfield. I usually find it difficult to promote myself. That’s not my nature. Liverpool were experiencing hard times and I wanted to help. If I hadn’t expressed an interest, people might have thought, ‘Well, if Kenny Dalglish doesn’t want to help, there must be big ­problems at Liverpool.’ When the news of my application emerged, the Liverpool punters were more favourable than not. That was reassuring. Maybe I didn’t make the wisest decision in the world in going for it. By expressing my ambition for the job, the board might think that complicated life for Roy Hodgson. They needn’t have feared. I fully respect Roy, a man I’ve known for a long, long time, ever since he was in Sweden, at Halmstads and Malmo, and he visited Melwood with Bobby Houghton. We struck up a friendship. Roy’s a very honourable and decent person, and very experienced in football. He has his beliefs in how the team should be set up, but when he arrived at Liverpool, he will have known that he had to make one or two adjustments to his system, because the individuals are different at Liverpool. No manager can just impose their style. It’s all right having a system but players dictate how it is played. When Roy came in, I knew ­Liverpool would be committed and well ­organised. He’s the type of guy players enjoy working for. He’s very honest in the way he handles players, and he speaks very well. He’ll get a great deal of respect from the players as well as the fans. Roy must know he has walked into a world of uncertainty at Anfield, and until Liverpool are sold, the situation won’t settle down. Even then, people always feel ­uncertain when they have a new employer. What decisions will the new buyer make? Will he keep people? Will he want his own men in? Roy understands the situation. At his press conference, he was asked how he would cope when a new owner arrives. His answer was very good: “I’m the same as everybody else. If I’m getting results, I’ve got a better chance of keeping my job.” Roy knows I’ll help him in any way I canhim I I can. ­Liverpool Football Club are much more important than I am, or Roy Hodgson, ­Christian Purslow or Martin Broughton. I’ve put aside any resentment I felt about not being considered for the manager’s job. I’m focusing on the bigger picture, which is Liverpool Football Club. Roy has no problem with me being here. I have never undermined a manager. When I was given the Liverpool manager’s job in 1985, I had the best guy ever as my ally to consult. Bob Paisley wasn’t a threat. He was 100 per cent on my side, and I knew that. I’ll be the same for Roy if he wants it. What matters is Liverpool fighting their way back up to where they belong. Liverpool will always be special in my eyes but they must take care. They are in danger of missing out on the support of a young generation, who’ve been brought up watching the Premier League on Sky. They want success. Unless ­Liverpool are winning trophies and keeping hold of quality players, such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, the club will struggle to pull in that generation of support. At the moment, the kids go to Anfield because of their dads and the players. That’s the attraction. But that can’t last forever. Liverpool have to win some silverware or lose a generation. Whatever happens, the club can always count on my support. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Kenny-Dalglish-in-his-own-words-Hodgson-faces-a-battle-to-take-Reds-back-to-where-they-belong-Liverpool-legend-reveals-all-in-his-new-autobiography-serialised-on-MirrorFootball-article579573.html

The Echo says Liverpool "have made it clear" that "there are still funds in place for the manager" if he wants to buy a striker in January........... "LIVERPOOL will give Roy Hodgson every financial assistance if he chooses to pursue another striker when the transfer window re-opens on January 1....Hodgson, whose side return to Premier League duty tomorrow with a difficult assignment at Birmingham City, is happy to spend the next three months with David Ngog and Ryan Babel as Fernando Torres’ understudies.But if he decides that changes need to be made in the New Year, Liverpool have made it clear they will back his judgement and there are still funds in place for the manager." http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/11/liverpool-fc-to-back-roy-hodgson-s-search-for-a-new-striker-100252-27245942/ Meanwhile, Roy says he doesn't know whether the profit made on selling Mascherano will be available to him in January "Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson does not know how much money will be in his transfer kitty come January. After allowing Javier Mascherano to leave Anfield for Barcelona in a £20million deal last month, the 62-year-old made a profit of roughly £8million in bringing in Porto midfielder Raul Meireles. The Reds boss did not have time to use the surplus to sign a striker, despite reportedly trying to lure West Ham's Carlton Cole on transfer deadline day, with Mascherano's move to Spain not completed until late. And Hodgson admits he is unaware of whether that money will still be available in four months' time, with the club still up for sale and the uncertainty surrounding next month's deadline to pay the Royal Bank of Scotland £237million. Asked whether he would still be able to spend the money which he did not use in August the Reds chief said: "I would hope so but I don't know. I don't know what funds I have for January. "I don't know quite how much [was available in August] - but with the limited amount of time at our disposal and the very limited market it wouldn't have been possible for me to find the striker I wanted anyway. "The situation with the club's funds is extremely complicated and it would be very foolish for me to start making statements on that front. "Perhaps by January the club will be under new ownership and I'll have to see what the new ownership has in mind." http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6370011,00.html

Hodgson says Babel would have been sold if we could have bought in another striker......... "Roy Hodgson admits Liverpool had more than one offer for Ryan Babel in the transfer window. The Dutchman was even allowed to speak to other clubs - but only on the understanding that a deal was dependent on Liverpool signing another striker. Hodgson explained: "When there were offers for him we were prepared for him to go down and speak to those clubs, but we made it perfectly clear that other things would have to slot into place for us to be able to allow him to go. "Those things did not slot into place. "I've got to say that I'm more than happy to work with Ryan Babel and it's up to him to convince me. No doubt if he hasn't done that by January he'll have to accept that maybe we'll be in that transfer market for a centre-forward once again". http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/roy-why-babel-didn-t-leave-lfc

Plessis was sold to Panathanaikos & Darby & Spearing were named as 2 of our 8 home grown players in our 21 man Premier League squad

Actually Bascombe claimed in the weekend's News of the World that Inter did exactly that

11 Oct campaign gets a good mention in the Guardian by Andy Hunter "Liverpool supporters, meanwhile, have intensified their campaign for Royal Bank of Scotland to pressure Tom Hicks and George Gillett into selling the club by calling for a mass boycott of its services and companies should the bank grant the co-owners another refinancing deal next month. The club chairman, Martin Broughton, is engaged in attempts to find a buyer for Liverpool before 6 October, when Hicks and Gillett are scheduled to repay debts of around £282m to RBS. Supporters are threatening to move their business from RBS if it continues to assist the Americans beyond the deadline, and the "LFC RBS Black Monday" group has today launched details of the potential boycott on Facebook, Twitter and fan forums." http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/06/dirk-kuyt-liverpool-holland-injury

11 Oct campaign gets a good mention in the Guardian by Andy Hunter "Liverpool supporters, meanwhile, have intensified their campaign for Royal Bank of Scotland to pressure Tom Hicks and George Gillett into selling the club by calling for a mass boycott of its services and companies should the bank grant the co-owners another refinancing deal next month. The club chairman, Martin Broughton, is engaged in attempts to find a buyer for Liverpool before 6 October, when Hicks and Gillett are scheduled to repay debts of around £282m to RBS. Supporters are threatening to move their business from RBS if it continues to assist the Americans beyond the deadline, and the "LFC RBS Black Monday" group has today launched details of the potential boycott on Facebook, Twitter and fan forums." http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/06/dirk-kuyt-liverpool-holland-injury

Dirk Kuyt has admitted to holding talks last month with Inter Milan over a possible move to be reunited with former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez. The 30-year-old said: “I cannot deny there were negotiations with Inter. It was pleasing to be courted by such a prestigious club, led by the coach who brought me to England and with whom I still have a splendid rapport. “However, Liverpool declared I was not for sale and I am in any case happy to have stayed in the Premier League.” http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/06/paul-konchesky-i-can-handle-liverpool-fc-pressure-92534-27209406/3/

Saric was stretchered off in the reserve game yesterday according to the Daily Post http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/02/liverpool-reserves-held-to-goalless-draw-by-wigan-in-first-game-of-the-season-92534-27184119/

From the BBC........ Real's statement said: "It is absolutely false that Real Madrid received a 21m euro (£18m) offer from Bayern Munich for Van der Vaart. "In fact, the German team never showed an interest to sign the player, so the allegations made in England have greatly surprised us." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8958654.stm

Ngog has picked up a hamstring injury according to the Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1307369/Striker-David-Ngog-injury-forces-Liverpool-boss-Roy-Hodgson-step-forward-hunt.html Hull unsure whether they can take Ayala on loan due to financial restrictions http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6348310,00.html

Well he's definitely right about Trezeguet, who signed for Spanish club Hercules 2 days ago http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12961_6344748,00.html

Dominic King says we are "on the verge of completing" deals for Meireles & Konchesky & Meireles's move "will be made official once he has completed the formalities of passing a medical & agreeing personal terms". http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/08/28/liverpool-fc-in-double-swoop-for-meireles-and-konchesky-100252-27156727/

Konchesky for President?

Dominic King in the Echo today says Roy will get all of the more than £20m we get for Mascherano to spend & is "trying to thrash out a deal" for Toivonen, but, "has other targets" "should that fail to come off" http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/08/28/liverpool-fc-s-roy-hodgson-to-get-all-javier-mascherano-money-to-spend-on-players-100252-27154389/

The Daily Telegraph 28 Aug 2010 Liverpool poised to sign Portugal international Raul Meireles from Porto By Duncan White Liverpool are finalising the transfer of Raul Meireles from Porto as they move quickly to replace Javier Mascherano. The Portugal international midfielder, 27, is expected to sign for the Anfield club this weekend as Roy Hodgson seeks to compensate for the loss of the Argentina international, who is joining Barcelona in a £22million deal. It is understood that Meireles had been lined up by Barcelona, should they have failed to land Mascherano and sources at the Camp Nou revealed that Meireles would now be joining Liverpool instead. Liverpool will reinvest the majority of the Mascherano money in Meireles, with a deal that could rise to as much as £17m. Meireles had been strongly linked with a move away from Porto and a departure appeared inevitable when he was omitted from their Europa League squad last week. Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas was resigned to losing the player and it was reported that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also wanted him to replace Owen Hargreaves. The signing would represent a coup for Liverpool. Meireles was coveted across the continent after establishing himself as one of the most impressive central midfielders in European football. He came close to joining Jose Mourinho at Internazionale last season after the Italian club agreed to exchange winger Ricardo Quaresma with Porto but the deal broke down after Quaresma refused to return to Portugal. Both Chelsea and Barcelona had watched Meireles last season and the player was understood to want a move to an elite European club after six years of success with Porto. Meireles emerged as one of his country’s most promising players in the European Under 16 championships in Israel in 2000, starring alongside Quaresma as Portugal won the title. He joined Porto in 2004, after making his name with Boavista, and has won the Portuguese league title four times in his six seasons with the club. The heavily tattooed midfielder was promoted to the Portugal team after the 2006 World Cup and has gone on to establish himself in Carlos Queiroz’s side, winning 38 caps and scoring 6 goals. He was part of the squad at Euro 2008 and started every one of Portugal’s World Cup qualifying games. He scored the decisive goal in the play-off with Bosnia, effectively qualifying Portugal for South Africa, where he impressed, scoring in the 7-0 rout of North Korea. There had been serious concerns among Liverpool supporters that the club would not be in a position to reinvest any of the money from the sale of Mascherano, with the level of debt that needs to be serviced. Having sold Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid last summer and with his replacement, Alberto Aquilani, having moved to Juventus on a season-long loan, Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has been forced to remodel his midfield. Christian Poulsen, the Danish holding midfielder, has already been signed from Sevilla and Meireles would be expected to play alongside him in a more dynamic role. He has been used by Porto as a defensive midfielder but is encouraged to break from deep positions. That would mean Hodgson could play Steven Gerrard in his more favoured attacking role. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/7968971/Liverpool-poised-to-sign-Portugal-international-Raul-Meireles-from-Porto.html

From Andy Hunter in the Guardian........... "The Liverpool manager hopes, however, to reinvest the fee in three new players – possibly Paul Konchesky, Ola Toivonen and a central midfielder – before Tuesday's transfer deadline......A deal for the Fulham defender Konchesky is expected to go through once Carlos Salcido completes his transfer from PSV Eindhoven to Craven Cottage, while Toivonen, the PSV forward, is under consideration. Konchesky, 29, will arrive in a £3m package, consisting of promising young Liverpool players Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic moving in the opposite direction plus cash.....The Standard Liège captain, Steven Defour, interests Hodgson but a deal for the coveted Belgium international appears unlikely. The central defender Daniel Ayala is joining Hull City on loan for the season while the highly rated Spanish forward, Daniel Pacheco, has agreed a two-year contract extension." http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/27/liverpool-selfish-javier-mascherano-barcelona

Rory Smith this morning says we have agreed terms to sell Mascherano to Barca & "No official word on fee for Mascherano. Had heard £22m, but some of it will be in clauses. Will #LFC reinvest the cash? Don't count on it." http://twitter.com/rorysmith_tel