GWistooshort

Click on the link below to watch a video of Fernando's comments http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6173557,00.html

Click on the link below to watch a video of Fernando's comments http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6173557,00.html

The Independent Wednesday, 26 May 2010 Uefa to pass 'financial fair play' test By Martyn Ziegler, PA Manchester United insist they will pass the new UEFA 'financial fair play' test which is set to become part of European football's rules tomorrow. Under the regulations to be rubber-stamped by UEFA's executive committee tomorrow, clubs in European competition will only be allowed to spend what they earn - although some leeway will be given for the first six years of the scheme. Clubs will also still be permitted to have large debts, but only if they can service the interest payments as part of their overall spending. In the Premier League, the new rules would threaten the participation of Manchester City, who made a £93million loss last year, in European competition as well as Chelsea - who made a £47million loss - unless they change their spending habits. Arsenal and Tottenham both made a profit and would pass the test, and Manchester United claim they would too - despite payments of £45million annually to service the interest on the owners' £507million bond scheme. United officials have carried out a 'dummy test' of their finances and are sure they would pass. A United spokesman told Press Association Sport: "We support the financial fair play measures. We are confident that we pass them and that we will continue to do so." United made a £22million profit last year after interest payments but much of that was due to the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80million. Even had they made a loss, United say under the UEFA rules they would be able to write off around £38million a year for 'goodwill' payments - an accounting practice that reflects the amount overpaid by the Glazer family to buy the club compared to the paper value of the club's assets. Furthermore, the interest on the Glazers' PIK (payment in kind) loans will not be taken into account because that is not paid out, but merely added to the debt - they now total £225million. The new UEFA scheme will come into effect in 2012, although some flexibility is afforded for an introductory period. Initially, clubs must not return losses of more then 45million euros (£38million) for the 2012-15 period. After 2015, clubs are given a leeway of 30million (£26million) for three-year losses after which the figure will be reduced still further. If clubs breach the rules then they will not be granted a UEFA club licence to take part in European competitions. Liverpool could also use the 'goodwill' accounting practice to argue they too should pass the test, and Everton's losses of £7million last season would see the Toffees within the leeway bracket, while in Scotland both Celtic and Rangers should also qualify. Aston Villa, however, who returned £46million losses last season, would fail the test. UEFA's intention is for the Football Association and Premier League to rule on which clubs pass the test - in the same way that they now issue UEFA club licences. The independent Club Financial Control Panel appointed by UEFA would carry out spot checks to ensure that the rules were being implemented correctly. The financial fair play rules would also prohibit 'sugar daddies' being allowed to pour money into clubs to buy players or fund high wages. Benefactors would be allowed to make capital investments in their clubs, however, such as building stadiums or youth academies. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/uefa-to-pass-financial-fair-play-test-1983602.html

From the Sky Sports website............... Hicks - Top talent will stay Reds co-owner believes a takeover will be completed by year end By Chris Burton Last updated: 26th May 2010 Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks insists the club will not be selling the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres this summer. A disappointing showing in the 2009/10 campaign has left the red half of Merseyside fuming, with many feeling the current American owners have failed to back manager Rafa Benitez in the transfer market. Spiralling debts have also caused concern, with it suggested that sales may be necessary this year to help balance the books. Amid mounting criticism, Hicks and business partner George Gillett have put the club up for sale, with former owner David Moores calling for the pair to sell up quickly on Wednesday. Hicks, though, is adamant that Liverpool are in better financial health than is often reported and claims there is no chance of them offloading their star men over the coming months. "We have no intention of selling any of our top players," he told Sky Sports News. "We have a substantial transfer budget in place. There is so much misinformation about transfer spending - it has more then doubled under the ownership of George and myself over the past three years. "We will make a considerable investment this summer, but it is really about getting the right players." Better off Hicks has also responded to the calls for a sale to be pushed through by revealing that he expects a takeover to be completed by the end of 2010. He claims there is no rush for a deal to be put in place, though, with it imperative that Liverpool find the right buyer to help take the club forward. "We will sell the club but it is about selling to the right group, at the right price, at the right time and in the right way," said Hicks. "We will do it in a thoughtful way and try to find the right man for Liverpool Football Club. We hope it will be done by the end of the calendar year, but I don't anticipate that it would be before the start of the next season. "I think between £600-800million is a realistic value range, but the market is the market. We are more concerned about finding the right next owner, someone who can make the investment in the club, get the stadium built and let Liverpool Football Club be the best club in the world. "The stadium is fully designed now and the financing markets are backed, so the change of ownership will be able to have the stadium built." He added: "There has been so much misinformation put out by people who have their own agendas and it's unfortunate, but that's just the way it is. The truth is that the club is a lot better off than it was three years ago. "We are all disappointed with where we finished this year, but people forget we almost won the Premier League last year. "We had injuries and we had players who performed below their level of expectation. Hopefully we will get that fixed in time for the new season." http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6173791,00.html

Dodgy source - I just posted it because of the headline Anfield boss expresses interest in Eastlands threesome

So they went "way beyond Google" - they had a phone call from the financiers representing Hicks & Gillett saying they were good for the money

The letter in full........................ Dear Tony, Thanks for getting in touch again. I’m writing to you not out of any mission to clear my name - if I felt I had anything to apologise for I would have done so, without hesitation, a long, long time ago. I’m sending this to you, in good faith, because my family, particularly the younger members, are continually being wounded by the combination of hearsay, mistruth and malicious gossip regarding my decision to sell the club, and the process that led the sale. I’m writing because it’s 5 years this week since the miracle of Istanbul - my greatest moment as a fan and as Chairman of Liverpool Football Club - but which now feels light years away from happening again. But above all I’m writing to you because I care deeply about the club, the team and the fans. I hope against hope that Messrs Gillett and Hicks will see this letter, or some portion of it, and do the right thing. In holding on and holding out, they risk damaging a sporting institution of global renown and if they have any conscience or nobility they will stand aside and allow new owners to take over the club for its future benefit and that of its lifeblood - the club’s fans. One of the principles that unites us as Liverpudlians, gives us pride and informs our sense of identity is the philosophy of doing things The Liverpool Way. On the pitch this evolved from Shankly’s fearless attacking football into a simple but wonderful game of pass and move, founded on hard work and a team spirit that relied upon everybody fighting for each other. Off the pitch things were not so different. We would put our faith in the manager and support him to the fullest extent we were able. Since the day I accepted the honour of becoming Chairman of Liverpool F.C to the day I stood aside, that has been my guiding principle; back the manager, invest in his vision and ensure that the heartbeat of the club - the methods and ethics that we hold so dear - are preserved and continue in The Liverpool Way. When I asked Rick Parry to join the club as Chief Executive, I knew that he too cherished these ideals. While we were both very eager for success and both dearly longed to help guide the club back towards the good times, we equally knew that there was a correct way, a Liverpool way of doing things. And one thing we would never countenance was any notion of borrowing against the club to create a phony wealth for some “jam today” spending splurge. I can say with certainty that our housekeeping was immaculate. I have always acted with the very best interests of the club at heart, and if I’ve made mistakes - which I know I have, and not solely with regard to Gillett and Hicks - then they have been honest mistakes. To give a proper context to the situation we find ourselves in now, it’s important to trace things back to their roots. I became the majority shareholder of LFC in 1991, and underwrote a new share issue in 1994. Pre Euro 96, football was incredibly unfashionable. There was nobody else on the scene in Liverpool who was even remotely interested in taking on the financial challenge of LFC. I became involved for one reason - for the love of the club. But in the wake of Euro 96 with the influx of more and more overseas superstars on superstar wages, I was aware the game was changing beyond all recognition and deeply worried, too, about my ability to continue underwriting the financial side. I was from the ever-decreasing pool of old-school club owners, the locally-based, locally wealthy supporter like Jack Walker who stuck his money in out of his passion for the club. If we’d have done it as an ‘investment’ we’d have come unstuck pretty quickly. Back then, football was a mug’s game when it came to the finances. You did it because you loved you club - although, unlike the Chairmen of other clubs, I would never entertain the idea of a stand or a stadium being named after myself. That wouldn’t be Liverpool, and it wouldn’t be me. If loyalty is a weakness then I’m loyal to a fault. I stuck to my guns in terms of backing the people I trusted, and it began to work. Under Gerard Houllier we began seeing the results of a long-term strategy. The Academy, the new training facilities at Melwood, investment in the squad all required serious money - much more money than the club could ever generate in those pre-Champions League, pre silly-money years. It’s easy to overlook the fact that we only qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 2001, and only really started making money in Europe thereafter. But 2001 was a year we’ll all remember with great affection - the year we finally began our concerted fight back. Rick and myself felt satisfied that the time, the patience and the investment was finally amounting to the targets we aspired to: winning the League again, and re-establishing Liverpool F.C as a force in Europe. I’d pinpoint 2002-2003 as pivotal in what led to my ultimate decision to stand aside if the club was ever going to truly progress - and if we could find the right calibre of investment, and curator. At the end of a terrific 2001-2002 where we made a bold and realistic scrap of the Premier League title chase and came agonisingly close in the Champions League, I backed Gerard in a significant summer of signings. The £20 million we spent was a huge outlay in those pre-Abramovich times, and it was done in the knowledge that we couldn’t repeat the spend again without significant progress - a proper go at the Champions’ League and, chief among our goals, the return of the League Title to Anfield. Very regrettably, 2002-03 failed to deliver our aspirations, and the players we invested in were unable to make a difference. Rick was always vocal about planning for success, and after much soul-searching from everybody close to the club we bowed to the inevitable. We began to accept that the only way we could continue to compete was by building a new stadium. Anybody who cares to dredge the archive will find myself on record as finding the decision difficult to come to terms with; but looking back now, the thing I was finding most difficult, was the transformation of the game I loved. Football clubs were beginning to be seen as a source of profit rather than a source of pride; they were as much financial institutions as they were sporting legacies. The Abramovich era was upon us, and I knew that I could never compete. The search for suitable custodians began in earnest. I don’t really care whether the supporters like me or approve of me - but it’s important that they believe me. I would never lie, never - and I have nothing to hide. We looked long and hard for the right person or institution, we followed up every lead. We WANTED that fantasy investor to come forward - the infinitely wealthy, Liverpool-loving individual or family with the wherewithal to transform our dreams into reality. And so sincere was our commitment to finding that person or company, that we invested huge sums and massive amounts of time investigating potential investors, only to conclude that they were not the right people for Liverpool. It would have been easier, I assure you, just to take the money, cross our fingers tight and hope things worked out - but we dug deep into every file and asked all the tough questions, knowing the answers might scupper any deal. To give just one example, we responded to overtures from Thailand - the figures discussed were so enormous we were obliged to take a closer look. We had just persuaded Rafa to join the club as manager and were eager to back him in the transfer market. No matter how dizzying their wealth though, we would never simply rush into a relationship with an unsuitable partner, and so it transpired with Thailand. After looking closely at the deal we withdraw from the proposition, and did so for all the honourable reasons you’d expect from our club. So it was ironic that Manchester City was subsequently sold to the same entity, without so much as a murmur of disapproval from their fan base. When it suits them, football fans can turn a blind eye to the things they’d rather not have to acknowledge. We did acknowledge it though - we confronted the reality that the Thai offer was unethical, made our decision to withdraw and carried on the search. Rick’s remark about selling the family silver has been used repeatedly against ourselves and the board - but it was said in all seriousness, with all sincerity. Several years down the line, I do sometimes wonder if we took the process too seriously. Do the majority of fans just want owners, whoever they are, who’ll buy all the best players, come what may? Speaking for myself, I could never square that outlook and that legacy with our own unique football club. Around that time, by the way, I experienced my first real backlash from the fans. It started with a few letters in The Echo and quickly grew into a campaign aimed at forcing me to sell. There’s an irony there somewhere that, in holding on and giving prospective new owners the third degree I was somehow seen as deliberately holding the club back! It was loud minority giving me stick, but this growing ill-feeling was certainly a factor I took into account. Our search for funding took us to the U.S where we spent time with the hugely impressive Robert Kraft. Both Rick and myself were disappointed that the Kraft family decided not to take their interest any further - Robert is a good man, and would have been a fitting custodian for LFC. Around the same time we met George Gillett for the first time, liked him very much as a man and were struck by his sheer passion for the club he owned, the Montreal Canadiens. There was a cultural similarity between the Canadiens and LFC, in that Montreal is perhaps the most un-Canadian of Canada’s major cities; the fans see themselves as separate (and perhaps superior) to the rest of the country. They are devoted to their team, which gives them a sense of pride and identity. Importantly, too, all the fans we spoke to on the street and around the stadium had nothing but affection and praise for their owner, George Gillett. Sadly George was unable to follow up his very real interest with the necessary funding to take our club forward. We have been accused of failing to capitalise on the Istanbul Effect - in fact our talks with Dubai International Capital stemmed directly from winning the Champions League in 2005, with Sameer Al Ansari from DIC introducing himself to Rick Parry in Istanbul and making it known that he was an ardent Liverpool supporter. Rick wasted no time in following up this lead, and having laid out our needs (significant investment for players; a new stadium;) we spent the next year working out a deal with DIC. On 1st December 2006 we informed DIC that they were our preferred option - and that the deal would have to be completed by 31st December 2006, for 2 reasons. Firstly, so that Rafa could take advantage of the January transfer window, and secondly the timeline of non-negotiable targets we had to hit if we were to start the new stadium on time. Several things happened (or didn’t happen) that gave cause for concern. Our being made aware that DIC had devised a 7-year exit strategy was one such issue, along with a suggestion they intended to raise £300 million in working capital (i.e debt), secured against the club. But by far biggest reality check came when we got down to the practicalities of planning a schedule of works on the new stadium. Under strict terms we had negotiated with the various agencies, local and European, with whom we had to deal over grants, planning permissions etc, we were on course to complete the stadium in time for the 2009/10 season, but we had to keep resolutely to the timetable. Therefore (also in December 2006), the club put it to DIC that it was essential we placed an immediate order for the steel required for the new ground’s infrastructure. The steel was going cost in the region of £12 million. Deadlines passed before and after Christmas. New Year 2007 came and still no steel, and quite frankly (and, I think, justifiably) we began to have misgivings. At this juncture - January 2007 - George Gillett returned with a new proposal. We asked to hear more, and George introduced his partnership with the Hicks family. On 30th January 2007 (the day we played West Ham away) we put the Gillett/Hicks proposal to the board, and they voted in favour. . I was conscious of the fact I’d agreed a deal with DIC, and telephoned Sameer Al Ansari to tell him that the board preferred Gillett and Hicks’s offer, and I wanted 48 hours to think things through. DIC representatives confronted me prior to the game and put it to me that I had to sign off on their offer immediately or the deal would be withdrawn. I told them I wouldn’t be held to ransom - and they withdrew the offer. With hindsight, we may have had a lucky escape there as Dubai is not the buoyant market it was in 2007. We moved ahead with Gillett and Hicks with all due speed (even now I can not accept that we were hasty) - and here is an element of the process I accept we could have handled better. We had looked into George Gillett’s affairs in detail, and he came up to scratch. To a great extent, we took Tom Hicks on trust, on George’s say-so. There was still the very real business of obtaining approval of the shareholders, however. I was the 51% majority stakeholder, but I was obliged to -and I wanted to - obtain a mandate from Liverpool’s shareholders great and small. Gillett and Hicks produced a very substantial offer document containing all the key assurances re debt, the stadium, investment in the squad and respect for Liverpool F.C’s unique culture, traditions and legacy. It was impressive stuff - and it did the trick. For the motion to be carried we needed around 90% in favour. Over 1700 shareholders voted and the result was 100% in favour of accepting Gillett & Hicks’s offer. So many times I have had people ask me, and write to me, and quiz the people who are close to me: “Wouldn’t a simple Google search have told you all you needed to know about Tom Hicks?” I could be flippant and tell you I don’t know what Google is (I have never used a computer in my life). I could point out that internet searches are as likely to mislead as to inform. But the truth is that we went way beyond Google in our check-ups. We retained Price Waterhouse Coopers to advise us on the fabric of the deal, and they received assurances from Rothschilds, one of the most respected and respectable names in global finance, who vouched for both Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Indeed, Rothschilds - who were representing Gillett and Hicks - telephoned a non-executive director of LFC, Keith Clayton, to assure him that both were good for the money. Could we have done more? Probably - though under those circumstances, in that time-frame, probably not. We did our due diligence on Messrs Gillett and Hicks and if we’re guilty of anything it is that, after four years searching, we may have been too keen, too ready to hear the good news that George and Tom had passed their tests. The Google question, along with any suggestion that the shareholders and I preferred the Gillett/Hicks bid because it promised to net us more money, is a source of anger to me. Internet culture is inexact and gossip-driven… to suggest anyone at our football club would run a financial health-check via a search engine is just silly. Don’t forget that everyone was delighted with their takeover at the time. Significant shareholders like Granada and Steve Morgan were insistent the board of LFC should accept the G&H offer, and left me in no doubt about my legal duty to accept the offer. George and Tom were carried shoulder high through the city centre on the afternoon of the Barcelona game in March 2007 - it wasn’t just me who was taken in. And as for the extra money I netted from the G&H deal - you really don’t know me if you think that was a factor. Ultimately, the deal we signed up to was laid it in unambiguous terms in the share offer document. That is a matter of fact. But at the end of the day you can carry out any number of checks with infinite degrees of scrutiny and certainty, but I doubt there’s any procedure available that will legislate for a guy you’ve come to trust looking you in the eye, telling you one thing and doing the exact opposite. As I’ve already said, I feel no duty to justify myself and in writing to you now there is much I’ve withheld out of decency, more than duty. There’s also the very real possibility that, in speaking out, I might derail the process that many believe I can positively effect. But it has been hard for me, sitting mute on the sidelines as the club I love suffers one blow after another. Since resigning from the board I have not set foot inside Anfield - and it hurts. I hugely regret selling the club to George Gillett and Tom Hicks. I believe that, at best, they have bitten off much more than they can chew. Giving them that benefit of the doubt - that they started off with grand ideals that they were never realistically going to achieve - I call upon them now to stand back, accept their limitations as joint owners of Liverpool Football Club, acknowledge their role in the club‘s current demise, and stand aside, with dignity, to allow someone else to take up the challenge. Don’t punish the club’s supporters any more - God knows they’ve taken enough. Take an offer, be realistic over the price, make it possible. Let the club go. It is a sign of strength, not weakness, to concede for the greater good. Yours faithfully, David Moores http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article7136761.ece

Simon Kjaer 'ready to leave' Palermo for Premier League, confirms agent Danish defender keen on move to England... 25 May 2010 EXCLUSIVE By Andy Brassell Simon Kjaer is set to leave Palermo - with the Premier League his preferred destination, Goal.com UK can reveal. The 21-year-old defender has attracted the interests of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, but is waiting for a firm offer from "the right club" before making a decision on his future. Speaking exclusively to Goal.com UK, Kjaer's agent Mikkel Beck admitted his client is ready to move his already impressive career on to the next level. "He is ready to leave for sure, and he is already ready to play in a big team," he said. Despite interest from Juventus and Barcelona, Beck said he had recommended Premier League football to Kjaer. "I try to give him the best advice I can, and I'm fortunate to have had the experience of playing in a country like England," said the agent, who performed with distinction for Middlesbrough during a four-year spell in England in the 1990s. "It's important we, together with Simon's family, come to the right decision so he can continue to develop." Palermo director Walter Sabatini said this week that Kjaer's contract contains a £10 million [€12m] release clause, and Beck admitted time is running out if Europe's big fish want to net themselves a relative bargain. "We have a clause that allows him to get out that goes on until - more or less - tomorrow night [Wednesday]," Beck said, emphasising that the expiry of said clause would not prohibit a move after the World Cup. "We'll see, but if nothing happens, he has a very interesting and important World Cup ahead of him, and we'll have to see what happens afterwards." Beck, who expects Denmark to surprise a few at the tournament, said that the team which does convince his client to ink a deal would be bagging a mature talent rather than one for the future. "He's a quality defender, young but with the head of an older, experienced player," he stated. "He's very mature for his age, and he takes responsibility in a very good Palermo side." The agent also said Kjaer would take the World Cup, as well as any subsequent step up at club level, in his not-inconsiderable stride. "It's his first big tournament, but these kind of things drive players like him. He's someone who knows how to raise his game," enthused Beck. "The bigger the game is, the better he is. He is consistent, but I think this is something that shows he has the qualities to be a big player." Kjaer is, however, not keen to force a move whatever the cost, and Beck said his man will only leave Serie A for a European giant that matches his ambitions. "He's ready to leave if the right club comes in," said Beck. "He has dreams to play in a big team, but he could also stay at Palermo for a year, certainly. It's not the worst case scenario playing in one of top teams in Italy and being one of the most important players." Kjaer, who grew up supporting Liverpool, has formed a solid partnership for Denmark alongside Anfield star Daniel Agger. But it is understood that his affinity for the Reds would not hold him back from joinig another Premier League club. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2565/exclusives/2010/05/25/1941787/arsenal-liverpool-and-manchester-united-target-simon-kjaer-ready-

Alonso: I'm coming back to Liverpool Fernando Torres: That makes me very happy Xabi

The Liverpool Daily Post says we are interested in 25-year-old Brazilian forward Diego Tardelli, who has scored 42 goals in 58 games for Atletico Miniero http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/05/25/liverpool-keeping-watch-on-brazilian-forward-diego-tardelli-92534-26513478/ & that "it would take a bid of at least £7million to persuade Liverpool to consider parting [with Benayoun]" http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/05/25/liverpool-keeping-watch-on-brazilian-forward-diego-tardelli-92534-26513478/2/ & Rafa has confirmed that Aurelio is leaving - we offered him a pay-as-you-play deal, which he turned down http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/05/25/liverpool-fc-career-over-for-fabio-aurelio-100252-26513529/

Confirmed by Rafa - we offered him a pay-as-you-play deal, which he turned down http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/05/25/liverpool-fc-career-over-for-fabio-aurelio-100252-26513529/

I think they've got it wrong - I read somewhere else that actually we're very keen to get him now because then he will qualify as homegrown when he reaches 21 as he will have been with us for the requisite 3 years Daily Mail 25 May 2010 Liverpool's move for Rangers kid Danny Wilson in fresh doubt over new 'homegrown' rules EXCLUSIVE By Peter Jardine Danny Wilson’s dream move to Liverpool has stalled — because the young Rangers defender does not meet a ‘homegrown’ quota system being introduced by the English Premier League. Now the cash-strapped Ibrox club could lose out on up to £3million if the 18-year-old remains in Glasgow next season before leaving when his contract expires. Sportsmail understands Wilson had proven particularly attractive to the Merseyside giants because they are planning for new regulations which will demand eight homegrown players in every topflight club’s 25-man squad. Liverpool initially believed it applied to footballers from across the whole of the British Isles, but their interest has now cooled after it emerged only youngsters brought through at English and Welsh clubs will qualify. This has forced a hitch in the projected Wilson deal, which had seen Liverpool offer a £2.5m down payment, with a further £1.5m in add-ons. While it is believed they still want to sign the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year, it will not be with the same urgency as before. Wilson has rejected all offers of an extension to his contract with Rangers. And it’s understood that, if no agreement can be struck with Liverpool at the moment, he will resolve to remain at Ibrox next season before becoming eligible to sign a pre-contract elsewhere in January. Any club signing Wilson would then have to pay only around £650,000 in compensation under FIFA rules relating to players under the age of 24. FA Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: ‘All clubs must declare their 25-man squad at the end of August after the close of the transfer window. ‘No more than 17 of those players can be over the age of 21 and not home-grown. ‘The definition of homegrown is trained for three years under the age of 21 by somebody in the English and Welsh professional system. It is not in a club’s interests to stockpile players. It will make buying home-grown talent more attractive.’ Rafa Benitez has already started to adjust Liverpool’s staffing levels, with young Englishman Jonjo Shelvey signing from Charlton Athletic. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1281183/Liverpools-Rangers-kid-Danny-Wilson-fresh-doubt-new-homegrown-rules.html

http://www.ynwa.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=149286&pid=2631781&st=80entry2631781

Pepe also says that he is "convinced" Rafa is staying http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2010/05/23/fernando-torres-hints-at-liverpool-future-102039-22277809/

I don't think that's the case From the official site................ "The 18-year-old arrived at Melwood last week to meet his new teammates and get used to the surroundings ahead of next season, when he is likely to be thrust straight into the first-team squad." http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/rafa-eyes-best-of-british

Either the Daily Post or the Echo reported that having just bought Mikel San Jose for £2.6m Bilbao have set his buy out clause at 30m euros

Here you go

Various transfer snippets in the papers yesterday/today Albert Reira The Liverpool Daily Post says Stuttgart are "thought to be tracking" Reira, who is "definitely on the way out" of the club. Mikel San Jose Both the Liverpool Daily Post & the Liverpool Echo say we received £2.6m from Atletico Bilbao for San Jose. Jay Spearing Leicester "have opened talks with Liverpool about keeping Spearing permanently" according to the Daily Mirror after Liverpool agreed to let Spearing return on loan. Milan Jovanovic The Daily Telegraph says Jovanovic "has signed a pre-contract at Anfield & will be confirmed as a Liverpool player on June 1". Danny Wilson Liverpool are "closing in on a deal" for Wilson according to the Liverpool Daily Post, with the Daily Telegraph claiming he is "expected to complete his £2 million move in the coming days". The Liverpool Echo says Liverpool are "expected to complete a £2.5m deal for Wilson when the transfer window opens next month".

The Daily Mail (I know) say Aquilani's agent's comments were in response to a £9.5m bid from Juventus, which we rejected http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1280028/Steven-Gerrard-fed-Rafa-Benitez-hes-ready-quit-beloved-Liverpool.html

The Telegraph today says Jovanovic "has signed a pre-contract at Anfield and will be confirmed as a Liverpool player on June 1" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7750875/Milan-Jovanovic-happy-to-ignore-European-elite-for-life-at-Liverpool.html

The Liverpool Daily Post says we are "closing in on a deal" http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/05/21/liverpool-fc-only-winning-the-title-can-stop-the-snipers-says-rafael-benitez-92534-26490389/ The Liverpool Echo says we are "expected to complete a £2.5m deal when the transfer window opens next month" http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/05/21/world-cup-makes-signing-players-difficult-liverpool-fc-boss-rafa-benitez-100252-26490435/ The Telegraph says he is "expected to complete his £2 million move in the coming days" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7750875/Milan-Jovanovic-happy-to-ignore-European-elite-for-life-at-Liverpool.html

The Echo says £2.6m http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/05/21/world-cup-makes-signing-players-difficult-liverpool-fc-boss-rafa-benitez-100252-26490435/

From an accompanying Balague article in the Mirror today.............. After weeks of speculation about his future friends say he wants to remain on Merseyside “if he is allowed”. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Rafa-Benitez-will-stay-at-Liverpool-if-they-want-him-Exclusive-by-Guillem-Balague-article433603.html

Stevie: "It would be great to have another Gerrard in the Premier League" speaking about his cousin Anthony who is palying for Cardiff in the Championship play-off final today Doesn't sound to me like the thought of thing someone who wanted to leave (the Premier League at least ) would say http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/sg-i-want-another-gerrard-in-pl

The BBC Gossip Column quoted a story from Footylatest.com - I didn't see it anywhere else