TUESDAY 24
	Mascherano Barca deal heading towards conclusion Javier Mascherano's proposed move to Barcelona is edging closer, with both clubs moving towards a compromise on their respective valuations of the player. The Catalan giants have now gone public on their interest, and the midfielder has openly expressed his desire to leave Anfield. It has been reported that an initial bid of £12 million, plus Alexander Hleb, was dismissed out of hand by Liverpool, but Soccernet understands that the first bid was closer to £18 million - though that figure was still some way off Liverpool's £25 million valuation. A source close to the deal told Soccernet: "Barcelona have offered 22 million euros, and Liverpool have put a price on the player of 30million euros. I believe the magic number is 28 million euros." (ESPN Soccernet) Wingers could put Reds through wringer TEAMtalk's Jon Holmes believes Roy Hodgson must solve Liverpool's left-back conundrum quickly, or risk a month of misery at the Anfield helm. The Javier Mascherano affair is undoubtedly Hodgson's most pressing dilemma at the moment, but there is more than one selection headache for the Reds boss. In the season opener at home to Arsenal, Daniel Agger filled in competently at left-back but was never seriously tested by Emmanuel Eboue. His replacement Theo Walcott was then fielded more centrally when he came on in the second half and, in any case, the concussion that Agger suffered in the closing stages resulted in Maxi Rodriguez seeing out the match in that position. Agger still looked dazed against Manchester City on Monday night. The Dane was given the runaround by Adam Johnson, who was on top form and particularly effective when cutting inside on his left foot. (Jon Holmes - TEAMtalk) Sky Sports pundit slams Mascherano Former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp has slammed the behaviour of Javier Mascherano, claiming the Argentine should not forget where he was prior to his move to Anfield. The 26-year-old allegedly refused to play against Premier League rivals Manchester City last night in an effort to engineer his move to Barcelona, but Redknapp believes the midfielder owes Liverpool, and not the other way round. Mascherano was brought to Anfield in 2007 despite suffering an underwhelming spell at West Ham United that at times resulted in him playing for the Hammers’ reserves, and Redknapp believes the Argentina captain would do well to remember what Liverpool have done for him. The Sky Sports pundit told the Daily Mail: “Maybe Javier Macherano must have forgotten where he was when Liverpool came to sign him - in West Ham's reserves. “They salvaged his career. How does he repay them? By refusing to play last night. “He's a good player, not a great one, but he's certainly not a good man.” The latest reports suggest Mascherano has already agree personal terms with Barcelona, over an £85,000 a week deal even though the two clubs remain someway apart in their respective valuations of the tough tackling star. (Sport.co.uk) Liverpool poised for new bidder Renowned deal-broker Keith Harris claims an overseas buyer is considering making an offer of between €488 million and €610 million for Liverpool. The former Football League chairman, who has had a hand in the sales of Aston Villa, West Ham and Manchester City in the past, said due diligence has already been done. (The Irish Times) Roy: Cough up or forget about Masch Roy Hodgson has told Barcelona to either make a proper bid for Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano or forget about signing him altogether. The Catalans have reportedly made a £12million offer for the Argentina captain which may also include Alexander Hleb as a makeweight. However, that falls way short of Liverpool's estimation of what the player, signed from West Ham for £18million three-and-a-half years ago, is worth. "Unfortunately the fee the club thinks is the correct fee and the fee we are being offered are very far apart," said the Englishman." (TEAMtalk) Mancini: Win will help our belief Roberto Mancini felt Manchester City "played with a good mentality" as they beat Liverpool 3-0 in front of owner Sheikh Mansour at Eastlands. It was City's biggest victory over Liverpool for 73 years and they were well worth it, although the visitors were poor on the night. Considering Liverpool regard City as their main rivals for a place in the top four the result could prove to be hugely significant - even this early in the season. However, Mancini was wary of reading too much into the outcome. "I thought we played well. We need time to gel and improve because we were missing four or five important players," he said. "But the team played with a good mentality. If they play with a good mentality I think we can beat every team. "We beat a strong team like Liverpool, who can fight for the title. "This win helped us believe in ourselves and this is important." (TEAMtalk) Hodgson cools concerns Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson believes his side did not deserve to go down by three goals at Manchester City. The Reds were comfortably beaten by City at Eastlands as goals from Gareth Barry and Carlos Tevez (2) gave Roberto Mancini's men the three points. Hodgson says Liverpool were unlucky to go down by such a margin and feels it is too early in the season to judge where his team are at. "We are only two matches into the season. We had Arsenal in the first game which we had to play with 10 men (after Joe Cole's sending-off) and then a strong Manchester City side," he told Sky Sports. "We were a bit unlucky to get beaten so heavily. I don't think we deserved to get beat by three goals to nil." (Sky Sports) PSV Eindhoven warn Liverpool off Toivonen Dutch club PSV Eindhoven have warned Liverpool off emerging striker Ola Toivonen. The 24-year old has become a strong target for the Reds with boss Roy Hodgson throwing in a £9million bid for his services but PSV sporting director Marcel Brands said the player was not for sale. "They called us last Thursday, in the morning, and asked how much we wanted for Ola Toivonen,” Brands said. "But our answer was clear: we will not sell him at this point. We don't want to lose Ola during this transfer window." Toivonen, who has represented Sweden, has attracted plenty of interest after netting 24 goals in 50 matches for PSV last term. (tribalfootball)
	MONDAY 23
	City sweep Reds aside James Milner enjoyed an influential debut for Manchester City by creating two goals in a convincing 3-0 home victory over Liverpool. The midfielder made an immediate repayment on the fee City paid Aston Villa last week by teeing up Gareth Barry to score the opening goal before curling in the corner which led to the second. Carlos Tevez, who was credited with City's second goal, made certain of his team's first Premier League win of the season with a penalty against a Liverpool side which posed only a sporadic threat. (Sky Sports) Hodgson bides time on Mascherano Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has hinted he will not select midfielder Javier Mascherano again until the transfer window has closed. The Argentine did not travel with the squad to Eastlands with the rest of the Reds squad for Monday night's Premier League clash against Manchester City. Barcelona are reported to have made an offer that falls short of Liverpool's £25m valuation of the 26-year-old. Hodgson hopes the matter will be closed by the end of the transfer window. That means he will either reach a deal with another club, and that is likely to be Barcelona, by the end of August - or Mascherano will return to regular duty with the Reds. (BBC Sport Online) Torres faces City Fernando Torres leads the line as Liverpool bid to secure their first Barclays Premier League win of the season at Manchester City tonight. The Reds striker makes his first start of the campaign alongside David Ngog in attack, while the likes of Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt return after missing the Europa League success over Trabzonspor. The Liverpool team in full: Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carragher, Skrtel, Kuyt, Gerrard, Lucas, Jovanovic, Ngog, Torres. Subs: Jones, Babel, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Maxi, Poulsen, Pacheco (LFC Official Website) Cavalieri seals Cesena switch Keeper Diego Cavalieri has left Liverpool for Serie A newcomers Cesena after only a bit-part role with the Reds. The Brazilian made just 10 appearances for the first team after being signed by former Reds manager Rafa Benitez from Palmeiras in July 2008. The 27-year-old could not dislodge first-choice Jose Reina and his Anfield career has now come to an end with last week's arrival of Brad Jones from Middlesbrough. The Reds have confirmed Jones, who qualifies as a 'home-grown' player despite being an Australia international, will now take over the No.1 shirt vacated by Cavalieri. (Sky Sports) Barca make Mascherano approach Javier Mascherano is not in the Liverpool squad for tonight's game against Manchester City at Eastlands after reportedly being the subject of a player-plus-cash offer from Barcelona. The Catalan club have reportedly bid €15 million, plus midfielder Alexander Hleb and defender Martin Caceres, for the services of the Argentine captain. Mascherano wants to leave England for family reasons and has been waiting all summer for such an offer to arrive. However, it remains far lower than Liverpool's valuation of a player they spent in the region of €22 million on. Speaking to Sky Sports before this evening's game, Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson said Mascherano's mind was elsewhere but that he would not be leaving the club unless an offer matching Liverpool's valuation was met before the end of the transfer window next week. (The Irish Times) Reds target Trezeguet David Trezeguet's agent claims Liverpool are interested in signing the Juventus forward. Reports in Italy claim Liverpool made an enquiry for Trezeguet after allowing Alberto Aquilani to join Juve on loan. (Sky Sports) Hodgson wants Liverpool transfer cash to spend Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson admits he wants money to spend in the remaining days of the transfer market. Hodgson does not believe he has fully assessed the talent and potential in the club's squad and academy and is against making a big-name signing if they already have a gem ready to be unearthed. "I'd like some money to spend if I could research where that money could be spent wisely," said Hodgson. "Giving me a lot now and telling me to go out and buy some players with one week of the transfer window left would not be particularly advantageous. "I've only been here for five weeks or so and I'd want to make sure I had assessed absolutely everyone, including those at the academy, just in case we have an outstanding 17-year-old. "We might have a Javier Hernandez there so I don't want to go out and spend £50million on buying another one." (tribalfootball.com) Jovanovic still settling in at Anfield Liverpool forward Milan Jovanovic is hoping supporters will be patient with him as he settles in in his new surroundings at Anfield. The Serbia international moved to Merseyside over the summer and has been thrown straight into the action by Reds boss Roy Hodgson. He has not looked out of place so far, but feels there is still much more to come from him in the near future. Jovanovic knows it will take time to acclimatise to a new country and a new way of life, but he is confident it will not take long for him to hit top gear. He is taking inspiration from the gradual progress made by his fellow countrymen, Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, and hopes he will soon be following in their illustrious footsteps. "I maybe need to be stronger and think more quickly to fit in," Jovanovic told The Independent. "It will take time and it has happened to all the players from my country who have come to England. It happened to Branislav Ivanovic and it happened to Vidic. For the first six months they hardly played any games. "I have to prepare for that and be at my best as quickly as possible. But I have come here having already played against English teams so I know what to expect." (TEAMtalk) Hamann convinced good times returning for Liverpool Didi Hamann is convinced the good times are back for Liverpool. The Reds face Roberto Mancini's new-look side in an intriguing early season encounter at Eastlands and the former Kop idol feels it is the ideal time to go head-to-head with one of their key rivals. "I think it's a good moment for Liverpool to play Manchester City," Hamann told Liverpoolfc.tv. "They've signed so many players and won't have a settled team yet. They brought in a lot of players last season too. "When they do click they will be a real force but I'm pretty sure that won't happen in time for Monday and I strongly fancy Liverpool to get something out of the game." On Liverpool, the former Germany midfielder added: "If they can add to what they have with two or three additional signings then I think they can go really close this year." (tribalfootball.com)
	SUNDAY 22
	UEFA punish Rabotnicki FK Rabotnicki have landed a €10,000 (£8,000) fine following the racist abuse aimed at Liverpool's players during Europa League action last month. The punishment was imposed by UEFA's control and disciplinary body, who cited the "discriminatory conduct of supports" in the third qualifying round first-leg match in Skopje on July 29th. Pictures of the Macedonian side's supporters directing monkey taunts towards the Reds players emerged following the English side's 2-0 win. Liverpool started the match at the Philip II Stadium with two black players in their side in David Ngog, who netted two goals, and 19-year-old winger David Amoo. A statement on UEFA's official website read: "The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body has imposed a €10,000 fine on FK Rabotnicki for the discriminatory conduct of supporters during their UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first-leg match against Liverpool FC." (Sky Sports) Mancini wary of Reds threat Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini expects Liverpool to pose a big threat to their hopes of a Champions League place. Even though the campaign is only in its infancy the meeting of the two clubs tomorrow at Eastlands could have huge significance come May. He said: “Liverpool are a strong team. They did not sell any players from last season. “We want to win but I have a lot of respect for them and a lot of respect for Roy Hodgson. It should be a good match.” (BreakingNews.ie) Hodgson not envious of City Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson claims he is in no position to feel envious of Manchester City. City have taken big spending to a new level this summer with their recent captures of Mario Balotelli and James Milner pushing their expenditure in the current transfer window past £120million. The 63-year-old has been charged with the task of reviving one of England's most successful clubs and, however modest the current resources at Anfield in comparison to City, that represents a new career peak. "I am never jealous," said Hodgson, who boasts a wealth of experience from a coaching career that has taken him around Europe. "I am in a position where I want to be and I am working for a club I have always wanted to work for. "I think it is for other people to be jealous of me. It would be very sad if someone who has been as fortunate as I have in my career starts getting jealous of other people. "I knew what I was coming to when I came to Liverpool and I have been very pleasantly surprised by everything, especially the reception I got from the players and fans and the way the players have responded to the work we have tried to do." (Press Association Sport) Poulsen: City can't rival Reds' history Christian Poulsen has taunted Manchester City ahead of Monday's meeting by claiming their history cannot compare with Liverpool's. The Denmark international recently completed his Anfield move after two seasons with Italian giants Juventus. The 30-year-old is impressed with the club's history and believes it will take big-spending City time to match The Reds' impressive trophy cabinet. Although Liverpool have come up short in the title race in recent seasons, Poulsen is pleased with the quality in Roy Hogdson's squad and thinks they can challenge for honours. "You can't compare City with the history of Liverpool and (Manchester) United," he said. "In Denmark we really love English football. "It will take some time for City. Four or five years ago the Premier League was United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. "Now you have teams like City and Spurs. But in Denmark, Liverpool are number one. You see the history, it's really something special. "When you are at Melwood and Anfield, there's a really big history. We have a really strong squad and will be at the top of the league this season. "We showed against Arsenal we are ready to battle with all the big teams in England. It's the strongest league in the world and I'm looking forward to playing in it." (TEAMtalk) Kuyt confirms Inter bid Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt has been made aware of Inter Milan's interest in his services and is weighing up his options. The Dutchman's agent revealed earlier in the week that the Serie A giants were keen to take his client to Italy. The reigning European champions are currently bossed by ex-Anfield chief Rafa Benitez, and he has been linked with a number of his former charges. Among those the Spaniard is hoping to snatch is hard-working winger Kuyt. Benitez is well aware of the many qualities the Holland international could bring to his side and is reported to have lodged a £15million bid. Kuyt has stopped short of revealing the details of the offer put to Liverpool, but has admitted that an approach has been made. He has given no indication as what he intends to do next, but is reported to have told a Dutch newspaper: "On Thursday night, during the Europa League game against Trabzonspor, the board of Liverpool informed me officially that they have received a fax from Inter. "You can call this a luxury situation for me now." Kuyt, who has 70 international caps to his name and turned out in this summer's World Cup final, has been with Liverpool since 2006. (Sky Sports) Thor Zakariassen ©