WEDNESDAY 9
	Mascherano is Inter's No 1 target Rafael Benitez's first transfer target as Coach of Inter will be Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. (Football Italia) Dalglish drawn by love for Liverpool Kenny Dalglish's passion for Liverpool Football Club runs so deep that he would do anything to help the club and I am convinced he would take the vacant manager’s job if the board wanted. Having been asked by the club to lead the search for Rafael Benitez’s successor, Dalglish would surely be interested himself. (Henry Winter - The Daily Telegraph)
	TUESDAY 8
	Torres on target in Spain six-goal romp Fernando Torres scored in Spain's 6-0 rout of Poland on Tuesday as the Liverpool striker handed the European champions a timely World Cup boost. The 26-year-old, who underwent knee surgery in April, was on target in the 75th minute of the friendly international with a cool, sharp finish from a cross by Pedro after coming on as a second-half substitute. It was Torres's 24th international goal and came just 10 minutes after he replaced David Villa. "It's almost two months since I played so I am happy to have scored," said Torres. "It was an impressive performance by the team." (AFP/Soccerway.com) Inter reach agreement with Benitez Inter Milan have reached an agreement with Rafa Benitez to become their new manager, club president Massimo Moratti has revealed. "We've got an agreement, we finalised the last details that in any case weren't important," he told the club's official website. "Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will say when Rafa Benitez will be presented." (TEAMtalk)  Liverpool FC to be taken over by Sheikh Khalifa? Could we see a possible takeover in the summer of struggling English powerhouse Liverpool FC? Well, according to latest reports surfacing, an Abu Dhabi billionaire might be on the cards for a comlplete takeover. Nothing has been agreed upon or finalized, no press release or media report, so don't celebrate just yet. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the current President of the United Arab Emirates and Emir (Ruler/ Leader) of Abu Dhabi. His one of the wealthiest Arab businessmen in the World. He is wealthier than his half-brother, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who is the owner of Manchester City FC. (Bleacher Report)  Reds defend season ticket rise Liverpool insist that the seven per cent rise in season ticket prices is due to inflation and the change in the VAT rate. Reds supporters will have to fork out £732 for a seat in the main stand if they apply online while the Kop costs £680. The Anfield outfit feel that their prices remain "extraordinarily competitive" when compared to many of the other leading Premier League clubs. The club said last year's prices were based on a 15 per cent VAT rate which has now risen to 17.5 per cent, while the retail price index - which reflects the rate of inflation - is now running at 5.3 per cent. A Liverpool spokesman said: "Inflation and the VAT change are the reasons for the rise - in real terms there's no difference. "Our season ticket prices remain extraordinarily competitive particularly compared with other clubs in the top half of the table." The increase is unlikely to go down well with fans opposed to Liverpool's American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. By comparison, Manchester United season ticket holders are currently paying up to £931 for a season. (Sky Sports) Benitez to raid Liverpool FC’s backroom staff Rafa Benitez will raid Liverpool FC’s backroom staff after taking over as Inter Milan manager. Benitez is expected to be installed as new coach at the San Siro in the coming days having held talks over a three-year deal with Inter president Massimo Moratti. The Spaniard has been targeted by the Italians after leaving Liverpool last Thursday following almost six years in charge at the club. And Benitez is ready to return to Anfield to take some of his trusted lieutenants with him to Serie A. Reports in Italy indicate Benitez will take Liverpool assistant manager Mauricio Pellegrino, goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero and fitness coach Paco de Miguel with him to the San Siro. Italian Amedeo Carboni – who played under Benitez as a midfielder at Valencia – is also likely to be added to his backroom staff. The imminent departure of key coaching personnel further underlines the need for Liverpool to intensify their efforts in finding a replacement for Benitez. (Daily Post) Redknapp not interested in Liverpool job Harry Redknapp has spoken for the first time about the Liverpool job, and told Soccernet that he is totally committed to Tottenham Hotspur. Redknapp has been linked with the job vacated by Rafael Benitez, but he is focused on matters at White Hart Lane, where he feels settled, even though he only has one more year left on his contract. Instead of putting himself in the frame for the Liverpool job, Redknapp believes that Kenny Dalglish is the best man to revive the Reds' fortunes and galvanise the players. (ESPN.co.uk - Football)  City eye fresh Liverpool raid Birmingham are being tipped to revive their interest in unsettled Liverpool forward Ryan Babel after the World Cup. Birmingham will lead the way to offer him an escape route out of Anfield, though, but may have to pay at least £7million again for a player the Reds splashed out £11.5million on three years ago. (Clubcall.com)  Skrtel to be fit for opener Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel is expected to be fit for his country's World Cup opener with New Zealand. The ankle injury suffered by the player in a 3-0 friendly win over Costa Rica has proved to be more serious than initially estimated but the Liverpool man still expects to be ready for Tuesday's game. "The ankle swelling is still significant and the injury requires treatment for more than three days, as previously suggested," the chief physician of the national squad told Slovak agency SITA. "Martin is a fighter and he will be fit for the first match of the tournament against New Zealand," Ladislav Pavlovic said, confirming that hospital scans did not appear to show damage to the tissue in his ankle. Injuries restricted Skrtel to 19 appearances in Liverpool's Premier League campaign but the defender should be back for his country for the Group F match. (Sky Sports) Report: Fiorentina eye Liverpool left-back Insua Fiorentina are interested in the captures of Liverpool left-back Emiliano Insua and Napoli central defender Fabiano Santacroce, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. (Goal.com)   Tom Hicks deters two ‘perfect fit’ offers for Liverpool Tom Hicks, who bought the Merseyside club along with fellow American tycoon George Gillett in 2007, placed an asking price on the club of around £800 million which has put off investors who would be a “perfect fit” for the club. The news comes from sources at Barclays Capital, the firm charged with finding a buyer for the club, who are said to be becoming increasingly frustrated with Hicks. Sources from the firm stated that they had attracted some “exciting investors” in the form of a consortium led by a prominent American businessman and an interested Middle Eastern bidder. But the club’s high asking price has put the potential investors off making a bid for the debt-ridden Anfield club, claiming that they do not want to be held to ransom over the price. (The Sport Review)  Dalglish could be key for concerned Anfield stars As soon as the season finished and talk began about Rafael Benitez’s exit, I suggested Kenny Dalglish would be the best man to step in and fill in the void. I still believe that to be the case. Although Kenny has been given the job of helping the board find a new manager, I don’t believe he needs to rush into it. In fact, with Sammy Lee still at the club, I think that’s a perfect duo to help the club through a period of instability. And it could be the key to persuading some of the club’s star names to stay at Anfield. He is the most revered of Liverpool’s former players and has the influence to pull everyone at the club together. He has a special bond with the fans – now it’s time to get that with the players. (Mark Lawrenson - Liverpool Daily Post)
	MONDAY 7
	Trio feature in friendly win Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson were all involved as England defeated Platinum Stars 3-0 in their final warm-up game ahead of the World Cup. Gerrard and Johnson were both named in Fabio Capello's starting eleven, and each was involved in the opening goal after a couple of minutes which resulted in Gerrard crossing for Tottenham's Jermaine Defoe to slot home. Johnson gave away a penalty a two minutes later with a challenge inside the area, but his blushes were spared as Bradley Grobler blazed over Joe Hart's goal. Jamie Carragher joined the action as a replacement for Johnson in the second half and helped preserve England's clean sheet. Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney added further goals late on as England rounded off their pre-tournament friendly programme with a comfortable victory. England kick off their World Cup campaign against USA on Saturday evening. (LFC Official Website) Liverpool legend calls for British manager Liverpool legend Ian St John is calling on the Anfield board to appoint a British manager. The ex-Scotland international believes it is time for the Reds to look closer to home after six-year spells for Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez. St John told BBC Radio Merseyside: "Personally I hope we get a British manager. We've had over 10 years of foreign managers. "Take away the night in Istanbul and the whole club seems to have changed." (BBC Sport Online) Spain to wait on Torres Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque will make a late decision on whether Fernando Torres will feature against Poland on Tuesday night. Torres is continuing to recover from the knee operation he underwent in April and played no part in his country's World Cup warm-up matches against Saudi Arabia and South Korea last week. Poland provide the final opposition for Del Bosque's European Champions ahead of their World Cup campaign, but the boss isn't yet sure if Torres is ready for a pre-tournament run-out. "His recovery is within the time-frames predicted by the doctors, and between us we will assess if he should play tomorrow or wait," said Del Bosque. "We will see after the final training session, listen to what the doctors say and to the player as well. He will play if possible but if not, we have no hurry. There are still days ahead to finish his recovery." (LFC Official Website) Rafa 'close' to three-year Inter deal Inter president Massimo Moratti has indicated a deal is imminent to make Rafael Benitez the Serie A club's new head coach. The Spaniard, who left his post at Liverpool by mutual consent last Thursday, has been strongly linked with the post after Jose Mourinho's departure for Real Madrid. And Moratti told reporters in Italy: "The next few hours could be decisive. But we must ask (technical director Marco) Branca." Reports in Italy suggest Benitez will sign a three-year deal worth five million euros per season. (TEAMtalk)  Burglar jailed for Steven Gerrard raid An "extremely violent" burglar was jailed Monday for threatening to abduct the children of England captain Steven Gerrard during a raid on the Liverpool midfielder's home. Martin Wilson, 22, was part of a mob who smashed their way into the Reds skipper's mansion while he was away playing for Liverpool in the Champions League in December 2007. Gerrard's wife Alex Curran confronted the gang, who demanded she hand over jewellery and the contents of a safe or else they would "take her kids", Liverpool Crown Court in northwest England heard. The couple's two children are now aged six and four. Wilson pleaded guilty to the burglary last month. He was sentenced Monday to serve seven years and four months in prison. (Soccerway.com) Thor Zakariassen ©