Torres Reveals Rafa's English Rule

Torres and Benitez - Spaniards themselves - communicate in English at all times, as does everyone else in the Liverpool dressing room.

It is most likely a tactic employed not only to help foreigners learn the language, but to also create an environment where nobody feels alienated.

"There are 12 Spanish speakers but we try not to talk in Spanish because if he catches us, Rafa fines us," revealed Torres.

"He always speaks in English to the Spanish, except when there's something you don't understand. At the start it was difficult. But with every day, I'm getting to know the language and the city better."

Torres signed for Liverpool from Atletico Madrid on July 4, 2007 in a deal breaking the £20 million barrier.

Torres Insists Benitez Will Stay

Rafa Benitez has been involved in a spat about the availability of funds for the January transfer window with the clubs American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, for over a month.

The disagreement intensified last week when the pair admitted they had spoken to Jurgen Klinsmann about taking over as manager of the club.

Torres, who was brought to Anfield by Benitez last summer for £26.5 million, has poured scorn on notion that the Spanish coach will leave Liverpool in the summer.

"I can't see that happening," said the 23-year-old striker. "I don't think English football has lost its patience like it seems. Benitez will not leave and he will not be sacked. It is a lie."

"Benitez is not just another manager," claimed Torres. "He created a team and put his faith in players that owe him a lot."

The Spaniard also revealed how much he is enjoying his time on Merseyside, both on and off the pitch.

"It's different here," smiled Torres. "I can go and have a coffee without any pressure.

"I can go for a walk and not be reminded at every step that I am a footballer. That allows me to be more calm on the pitch and enjoy myself more.

"I can see that I play for a team which is respected by its rivals.

"And it is easy to get along with Gerrard on the pitch. You don't have to do anything strange, wherever you move he gives you the ball. He is fantastic."

Hicks Shoots Down Dubai Takeover Rumours

Earlier this week, The Guardian claimed that the investment group controlled by Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum rekindled their interest in the Anfield giants with a massive £500million takeover bid, but the American billionaire has branded the report a "complete fabrication".

"I have not received any offer to purchase the club from the DIC or anyone else, much less accepted any such offer. Nor do I have any intention of doing so," Hicks insisted.

"Whoever is behind this false report, the facts are that I and my family have always been, and remain, fully committed to co-owning the club; that no-one in my family has ever indicated any intention or desire to sell our stake in the club; and that we expect and intend to be co-owners of the club, and to actively and enthusiastically support the club's manager, players and fans for many years to come."

Hicks' latest statement, released through financial and corporate communications consultancy FD, reinforces one made by him and his partner George Gillett earlier this week stressing that they were not looking to part with the club they invested into less than a year ago.

Benitez: Focus On Next Games; Not Table

The Reds are currently fourth and 15 points behind leaders Manchester United. However, Benitez believes that wins away to the top three could hold the key to keeping his side’s title hopes alive.

"We don't think about the gap between us and the clubs above us because the only way we can change things is by winning games" he said.

"If you start thinking of how far behind you are it can cause you problems because you can lose focus.

"The problem for us is expectations because people were talking about this year and saying we had to be contenders and we had spent big money but if you analyse the last 10 years the difference between us and the team at the top has always been about 20 points.

"To win the title you need to get around 89 points, or this year maybe 85, and the record of our club in the Premiership is 82.

"So to win the title you have to do everything almost perfect and because we know it is not easy we cannot be looking at the table every week because you will just end up losing your confidence and playing with more anxiety."

The Reds boss admits that the Merseyside club have struggled on their visits to Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates over the past few years, but feels positive results this season on their travels would go a long way to reducing the gap at the summit.

"I think it is important to say the next target is to win against Aston Villa, then try to win the next game in the cup and then try to beat West Ham and Sunderland in the league and then we play against Chelsea.

"This game will maybe be the key but for me the key is to have targets of two or three games and no more because if you think of the table you will play with anxiety and you will play worse.

"We will see where we are in two or three games and the key this year if we want to reduce the gap are the games away at Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United.

"Normally our performances against these teams away from home are not the best so if we want to change something for the better we must go into these games with options.

"But watching the table will do us no good."

O'Neill Believes Liverpool Remain Contenders

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, whose in-form team take on Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow in what should be a fascinating battle with both teams tucked in behind the top three on 39 points, expects the Reds to push those three all the way for the Premier League crown.
He acknowledges that Liverpool must put together a winning streak to claw back lost ground on Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, but he sees no reason to suppose Rafa Benitez's side won't be in the frame in May.
"After strengthening their team at the start of the season, I thought Liverpool would be genuine contenders and I still wouldn't write them off," he said.
"They would probably have to win eight or nine consecutive games. They are capable of doing that."


Laursen Puts Torres In Perspective...
Meanwhile, Villa's Danish defender, Martin Laursen, rates Liverpool striker Fernando Torres as world-class - but insists he is not 'Superman.'
Laursen, who committed his future to the Villans by signing a new two-and-a-half-year contract on Friday, says he is not overly concerned about facing Liverpool's 17-goal striker, and will treat him the same way as other forwards he marks.
"Let's not make Torres into Superman," he said.
"He's just a player like everyone else. He's a good player but not better than very many of the other strikers in this country.
"Torres is a world-class striker but, like I said, he's not Superman."


...And Thanks O'Neill For His Trust

Laursen has also thanked O'Neill for the "great trust" shown in allowing him to plot his own comeback from a lengthy knee problem.

Laursen began the season with serious questions over his fitness and future after making only a handful of appearances in the previous three years since joining Villa from AC Milan.

But the 30-year-old has justified O'Neill's faith by being an ever-present this season in the Barclays Premier League and becoming the club's second top scorer with six goals.

Laursen said: "I love the way the manager just said to me 'Martin, I just want you to make sure you are fit and ready to play on Saturday.'

"He says 'what you do during the week I care about - but the important thing is that you are there for matches because that's where we need you, that is where you are important.'

"All players are different. One players needs to train a lot, another needs to train less, another needs to do different things. We are all different and the manager is very good at understanding that and we've had a perfect relationship.

"We work very well together. He has helped me by trusting me, trusting that I can take care of myself, trusting that I know what is best for me to be 100% ready for the games.

"I am 30 now and have played for many years and I know I can't just do nothing in the week and pretend that I am going to play well on Saturday.

"I need to work out during the week but I still need to take care of myself and the manager understands that and that has been very important for our relationship."

Laursen is delighted to have sorted out his future after being kept informed of interest from other clubs by O'Neill.

He said: "The manager told me of interested clubs but that is normal because I was playing well and was out of contract in the summer. I was listening to him - but I wanted to stay here.

"To sort out my future is a big weight off my shoulders. It has been a big thing in my head. It is something I have thought a lot about about because I wanted to stay and you never know in football if you can find an agreement."

Mascherano Olympic Call-Up Sure To Anger Reds Although there has been no official reaction from Liverpool, Javier Mascherano's call-up to represent A

Argentinian Under 23 national team coach Sergio Batista has penciled in Mascherano in a list of players, which also includes Martin Demichelis and Juan Roman Riquelme from Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors respectively.

Batista said: "Riquelme is a player that I like very much. I spoke with him and he wants to be at the Olympic Games.


"I have also included Mascherano because he is very important for the midfield of any team and Martin Demichelis can give his experience to the defence.


"These three players will surely be in the friendly match that we will play on 6th February against Guatemala in Los Angeles.


"Then in August we will have to see if their clubs let us have them for playing in China."

If the Argentine FA get their way this would mean that Mascherano would be absent for the start of the Reds' next Premier League campaign, and one can be sure that Rafa Benitez and co. will not take this sitting down.

Rafa Admits Off-Field Spat Is Affecting Players Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has admitted for the first time that the ‘Klinsmann-saga’ has affected

Co-owner Tom Hicks made the startling revelation earlier this month that he, and partner George Gillett, had approached Jurgen Klinsmann about replacing Benitez if the Spaniard left or was sacked in the near-future.

The relationship between the American duo and Benitez had started to deteriorate towards the end of November, when the Reds boss failed to secure funding and support from the owners for his plans in bringing in players during the January transfer window.

Since then Liverpool have stuttered on the pitch, so much so that they now sit 12 points off their title rivals.

But Benitez pointed to the highly publicised and controversial revelations made by the owners as a major factor behind Liverpool’s recent stumble in the league.

"You cannot say that things off the pitch do not affect people, it is really difficult," said Benitez.

"It has been going on for a couple of months, and all you hear on TV, radio and see in the papers is this situation."

Although Liverpool’s title chances have been severely affected, the tactician refused to concede the title race outright, insisting that his team will continue to concentrate on each game as it comes – starting on Aston Villa this Monday.

"We will fight to be as close as possible to the top of the table. I am not thinking about fourth position as a target. We will try to finish higher. How high I don't know, but we will aim higher."

"Now I am thinking about Aston Villa. I know the newspapers, the radio and other media are focusing on things off the pitch but I want to talk about Aston Villa and prefer to talk just about the game," he said.

"For a manager to win games is the most important thing. The other day against Luton everyone was really happy after the game and we will try to do the same against Aston Villa.

"It will be different because they are a good team with good strikers and they play well on the counter attack so we know it will be difficult but we will try to win."

Admitting that at this moment in time Liverpool seem closer to being in a fight for fourth position rather than genuinely competing in a title-race, Benitez emphasised how the strength of the teams around the club have significantly improved, effectively making a title push very difficult.

"There are two or three teams who are very close," he said.

"We have one game in hand that I do not want to forget. But they are having a good season and at this moment, they have a lot of confidence and we will try to do our best because we know it will be difficult."

I'm Staying At Pool, Insists Crouch Peter Crouch has moved to put an end to rumours that he is on borrowed time at Liverpool.

The beanpole striker has been repeatedly linked with the likes of Portsmouth, Manchester City and Aston Villa ever since the arrival of Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin, but despite having to get all too familiar with the feel of the Anfield pine, he insists that he has not thoughts of leaving.

Crouch said: "Everyone talks about me talking to clubs. Maybe it's because I'm not playing every game.

"But at a club like Liverpool you're not going to play every game.

"I've come to realise that this is the case at a club like this, whereas at somewhere else maybe you would play every game.

"But here we are competing for things and I certainly want to be a part of winning trophies.

"No-one's approached the club and no- one's approached me.

"There's a lot of speculation and, like I've said, that probably comes down to the fact that I'm not playing every game.

"But hopefully if I get a good run of games towards the end of the season then those rumours will go away."
Reds boss Rafa Benitez is eager to keep his squad together going into the business end of the season and has warned potential suitors that he is not looking to offload Crouch or any of his other players.

Gillett To Buy Hicks' Anfield Share? A report in the Guardian suggests American businessman George Gillett is considering buying out co-owner Tom Hic

Talk about Liverpool's owners being forced to sell the club has continued to rage, but a report on Friday has suggested that a deal may simply involve one of the pair, George Gillett, buying out the other's stake.

The co-owners released a joint statement earlier this week stressing that they were not looking to part with the club they invested into less than a year ago.

But reports continue to speculate that refinancing the original loan is proving difficult with the current global credit crunch - any such move would only serve to burden the club with even more debt.

Dubai Deal?

Dubai International Capital (DIC), who were in the running to buy the club from David Moores last year, are thought to be preparing another bid for at least part-ownership, with the Guardian claiming the consortium is prepared to back Gillett's approach to Hicks for the Texan's 50% share.

"It is a very delicate situation but DIC has reignited its interest," the source told the Guardian. "The terms of the offer, which will be made to Tom Hicks, have been agreed and DIC are hopeful they will be finally be able to invest in Liverpool."

Refinancing?

However, it also being reported that the Americans have been offered a £350m refinancing loan, enough to secure sufficient funds to procede with the building of a new stadium in Stanley Park and cover the transfer funds used to bring the likes of Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel to Anfield.

Unpopular

It is the latest twist in an ongoing saga involving Liverpool's owners, who have become unpopular in fans eyes since Hicks openly admitted holding talks with Juergen Klinsmann about taking over the manager's job behind Rafael Benítez' back.

Skrtel Can't Wait To Play At Anfield New Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has expressed his delight at moving to Merseyside - all he wants now is to

Martin Skrtel became Liverpool's most expensive defender ever after completing his £6.5m move from Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg last week.

And although he wasn't a Liverpool fan growing up, the Slovak is delighted to have been offered the chance to come to Anfield.

"To be the first Slovak to play for Liverpool makes me very happy," the defender told Liverpool's official website.

"Not many Slovakian players have had the opportunity to play in the English league. I have and I will give it everything to succeed here."

History Matters

The defender also revealed that Liverpool's history was a major factor in him choosing them as his next move. "I know about the great history of Liverpool FC and the tradition.

"Watching the Champions League final when Liverpool played AC Milan in Istanbul left a big impression on me. That type of game doesn't happen every day.

"I watched it on the television and I thought at half-time, 'that's it'. What happened in the second half was absolutely unbelievable," he recalled.

Carragher Comparison

Skrtel is also more than pleased to have his style of play likened to Jamie Carragher's. "I knew about Jamie before I came here," he said. "He is a very good player and it's a compliment for me to be compared to him."

Liverpool have badly needed another centre-back, especially now Daniel Agger has suffered a recurrence of his foot injury, but coach Rafa Benítez hasn't opted to use Skrtel thus far. Nevertheless, the Slovak knows it's only a matter of time until he gets his chance to impress the Kop.

"I can't wait to play at Anfield," he said. "The stadium is beautiful and Liverpool have got the best supporters in England, if not the world. I can't wait to play there for the first time."

Fitness Issues

The former Zenit man is currently lacking match fitness as the Russian league finished almost two months ago, but Skrtel explained he'd been working hard at the Reds' training ground to regain peak form.

"The manager has told me he will give me time to improve my fitness and fit in and I know about how tough the competition for places is here," said Skrtel, who has been given the No37 shirt. "That is a good thing for a club to have and I will give it my very best. I will be working as hard as I can so I can get into the squad and I will also try to learn to speak English as soon as possible."

Easy Decision, Hard Decision

But while he feels moving to Liverpool and England was the right decision to progress, he admitted that it had been tough to tear himself away from St. Petersburg and a team he'd just helped to the Russian Premier League title. "I was at Zenit for three and a half years and I really enjoyed my time at the club," he said. "Leaving was quite sad for me because I had some good friends there but that is the life of a footballer and now I'm looking forward to a new challenge at Liverpool. I will always have good memories of my time at Zenit."

Mascherano Frustrated As Liverpool Lose More Ground Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano insists Liverpool cannot drop any more points, whilst his

It took an impressive long-range drive from Fernando Torres to rescue a point for Liverpool at the Riverside. The draw with Middlesbrough leaves the Reds 12-points adrift of Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premiership table.

Liverpool have drawn four games straight. Bullish midfielder Javier Mascherano was frustrated that his side couldn’t find a winner and insists they cannot drop more points.

"It was fantastic goal by Fernando," the Argentinean told said the club’s official website.

"I was behind him when he took the shot and it was a beautiful goal. It gave us the platform to go on from there. Now we have to start winning for our confidence.

"In the second half we played with more passion and after we equalised we had more chances but could not get the winner.

"Now we have to make sure we keep working hard and think about the next game because we cannot afford to drop more points."

Mascherano wouldn’t have foreseen such a struggle this season, having made the switch to Rafa Benitez’s side from West Ham, who fought out a relegation battle last term.

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old will be hoping Mohammed Sissoko's faltering £10million move to Juventus can be pushed through this month, as Liverpool need £17million to secure Mascherano’s services on a permanent basis.

Agger In Fresh Injury Nightmare Daniel Agger's injury nightmare continues, but Fabio Aurelio is fit again for Liverpool...

Liverpool’s Danish stopper Daniel Agger will be out for the foreseeable future after suffering a fresh injury setback.

The 23 was being eased back into action, having been out since September but, like teammate Xabi Alonso, Agger is straight back out. He has suffered a recurrence of his metatarsal injury.

"We've had some bad news in that Agger has the same problem again," Boss Rafa Benitez told the Reds’ official website.

"He was training and ready to play but on Sunday in training he felt something, so we need to go back and start from the beginning.

"It's not easy to say when he will be back. He is going to see different surgeons and then we will be able to analyse the situation."

Agger was compared to Anfield legend Alan Hansen by fans following a sparkling debut season in the Premiership, following his move from Brøndby IF.

Martin Skrtel, the recent signing from Zenit St. Petersburg, is now likely to be rushed into first-team action ahead of schedule.

There is some positive news for Benitez, who should have Fabio Aurelio available ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup third round replay with Luton.

"Fabio Aurelio is fit again and the other players are available," he added.

Babel Can Be The New Henry - Boateng Middlesbrough captain George Boateng believes his compatriot Ryan Babel, the Liverpool forward, has the potentia

High praise has come the way of Liverpool star Ryan Babel from an international team-mate, who thinks he could go on to be the new Thierry Henry.

Middlesbrough's George Boateng had trained with Babel in the Holland squad long before Babel moved to Anfield in the summer. And he was impressed with what he saw.

Boateng feels Babel is a highly talented player with the potential to go right to the top. The two players were in opposition on Saturday at The Riverside where Boro drew 1-1 with Liverpool.

"A player who really impresses me is Ryan Babel," said Boateng. "I've followed his career in Holland with interest and he has a great future. In fact, he could be the new Thierry Henry.
"He has the body, speed and pace – everything he needs to develop his game. He is also a great lad with a really good attitude and is very down to earth.
"From the first day I trained with him in the Holland camp a few years ago, I knew this boy was really something. Liverpool have a golden player on their hands.
"Rafa Benitez knows it takes time for a player to settle in a new country. Babel's best times are yet to come."

Kuyt: It's Time I Started Scoring Again Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt says he and his teammates need to alleviate the goalscoring burden on star duo St

Liverpool stumbled to their third consecutive 1-1 of 2008 on Saturday against Middlesbrough as criticism of the team's performances continued.

Fernando Torres notched his 17th goal of the season at the Riverside, and aside from Steven Gerrard (12) the Reds are carrying little other goal threat at the moment.

Kuyt: We Must Help Out

One man who recognises is Dirk Kuyt, who with seven strikes is Liverpool's third highest goalscorer this season.

Speaking ahead of this week's FA Cup rematch against Luton Town, the Dutchman stressed that the rest of the players need to start chipping in with more goals to help Gerrard and Torres - and that includes Kuyt himself scoring more.

"We have a lot of quality players in this side and they have to do more," said the former Feyenoord man. "Fernando and Stevie both have a chance to be footballer of the year, they've done really good things this year for Liverpool.

"But when you play for Liverpool you know you're under pressure and they have shown they can come up with the goals even when they're under pressure. That's what we all need to do."

Barren Spell

Voronin, Crouch and Kuyt netted just once in December between them (Kuyt's goal against Marseille in the Champions League), but the Dutchman is without a goal in the league since the 3-0 win over Newcastle on November 24th. "I'm struggling a bit at the moment," he admitted. "But I feel confident and I feel things are coming back.

Boro Failings

"It's just a matter of time, I hope. I've got a good feeling that we can do great things for the rest of the season. We have the quality and we have to show it but at Middlesbrough we didn't do it once again. It's definitely two points lost," he remarked of Saturday's draw.

"Liverpool have more quality than Middlesbrough. It's up to us to show it on the pitch, but we didn't show it in the first half. The second half was better and we could even have won it, but it would have been too much for this game."

Hicks: We Had Talks With Klinsmann Over Manager's Job Liverpool supremo Tom Hicks confirmed that he and partner George Gillett had sought out Jürgen

Tom Hicks admitted to the Liverpool Echo that he had sought out Jürgen Klinsmann as a replacement for Rafa Benitez.

However, Hicks stated that the former Spurs boss was on his and Gillett's shopping list in case Benitez opted to try his luck elsewhere, with the prospect of his being fired being a distant second in a list of possibilities.

The Anfield supremo said, "We attempted to negotiate an option, as an insurance policy, to have him become manager if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs that were rumoured in the UK press, or in case our communication spiralled out of control for some reason."

Hicks now insists that, as no breakdown in communication was forthcoming, Benitez's position at Anfield is safe. In any case, Klinsmann - now set to take charge at Bayern Munich - was never offered the Reds job.

"After George and I had our long and productive meeting with Rafa following the Man United match, we put all of our issues behind us and received Rafa's commitment that he wanted to stay with Liverpool," continued Hicks.

"We never reached agreement on an option with Jürgen, and we are both pleased for him that he has a great opportunity to return to Germany and coach a great club team.

"Rafa has both of our support, and our communication has greatly improved."

Benitez has also stated that he's pleased to remain in L4.

Hicks: We Had Talks With Klinsmann Over Manager's Job Liverpool supremo Tom Hicks confirmed that he and partner George Gillett had sought out Jürgen

Tom Hicks admitted to the Liverpool Echo that he had sought out Jürgen Klinsmann as a replacement for Rafa Benitez.

However, Hicks stated that the former Spurs boss was on his and Gillett's shopping list in case Benitez opted to try his luck elsewhere, with the prospect of his being fired being a distant second in a list of possibilities.

The Anfield supremo said, "We attempted to negotiate an option, as an insurance policy, to have him become manager if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs that were rumoured in the UK press, or in case our communication spiralled out of control for some reason."

Hicks now insists that, as no breakdown in communication was forthcoming, Benitez's position at Anfield is safe. In any case, Klinsmann - now set to take charge at Bayern Munich - was never offered the Reds job.

"After George and I had our long and productive meeting with Rafa following the Man United match, we put all of our issues behind us and received Rafa's commitment that he wanted to stay with Liverpool," continued Hicks.

"We never reached agreement on an option with Jürgen, and we are both pleased for him that he has a great opportunity to return to Germany and coach a great club team.

"Rafa has both of our support, and our communication has greatly improved."

Benitez has also stated that he's pleased to remain in L4.

Hyypia: End Speculation About Rafa's Future It is about time the onging speculation concerning the future of Rafael Benitez as Liverpool manager was

Sami Hyypia believes the persistent uncertainty surrounding Benitez's position at Anfield is undermining the club and should be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Last autumn's row between Benitez and club owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks sparked widespread speculation that the Spaniard's days at Anfield were now numbered.

And Hyypia for one is fed up with the incessant rumours - not least because he believes it is affecting the whole team.

Liverpool's performances and results in recent weeks have been distinctly below par, and Finnish international Hyypia has urged the club's hierarchy to resolve the situation regarding the manager so that Liverpool can get their season back on track before it is too late.

"We seem to be becoming like Newcastle," Hyypia told The Mirror.

"Every time we pick up a paper, there seems to be something new. But our job is to concentrate on the games.

"In the football world there are some things that happen very quickly and you can't do anything about them. The players hope that if there are arguments, they can be sorted out."

Kuyt Backing Hot-Shot Torres

On a more positive note, Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt is backing his Spanish team-mate, Fernando Torres, to win this season's Player of the Year award.

Torres underlined his value again on Saturday when he produced a stunning 25-yard effort that salvaged a 1-1 draw for Liverpool against Middlesbrough.

It was the 17th goal of his first season in English football.

Kuyt does admit, however, that Liverpool have become too reliant on Torres and captain Steven Gerrard to provide the goals this season. Those two have scored 18 of the Reds' 35 League goals.

"Torres is having an unbelievable season especially as he's coming from a foreign country and not speaking English very well," said Kuyt.

"He's definitely a quality player and one of the best players in the League at the moment. He's one of the best in Europe.

"He's got everything, he's really quick and he's got a good finish and great ability. He's frightening for defenders to deal with.

"Definitely Fernando and Stevie G have a chance to be footballers of the year. They've done really good things this year for Liverpool."

US Owners To Sell Liverpool To Dubai Group? There is speculation in the English media today that George Gillett and Tom Hicks could be ready to sell

Could the ownership of Liverpool be about to change hands again?

That is what is being speculated today in the English media, in a story that underlines the extent to which top-flight English football is as much about financial figures as 4-4-2.

The reasons why Liverpool could be sold for the second time in a year include the repercussions from America's sub-prime mortgage and housing crises and eroded bank confidence.

It seems from reports in The Guardian and The Observer, among other sources, that Liverpool's American owners, George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, are encountering difficulties in refinancing £350million of debt incurred in the taking over and running of the football club.

They are facing steeply rising costs for building a new stadium, while manager Rafael Benitez is demanding funds for new players.

In response, Hicks and Gillett have been attempting to transfer the debt, for which they are personally liable, on to the club itself.

City sources think it will be very difficult for them to achieve this before the loan's due date at the end of February.

And if the Americans fail to meet that deadline, they could have an escape route in Dubai. It is understood that the investment group, Dubai International Capital, is close to lodging an offer to buy out the two Americans, probably for about £500million.

Takeover discussions are thought to be due before the end of this month, according to the newspapers.

DIC were pipped to the post by Gillett and Hicks last year when it had seemed near certain that Liverpool's new owners would be Arabic rather than American.

DIC, led by Liverpool supporter Sameer Al Ansari, would invest heavily in two key areas: firstly the new stadium that Liverpool need in order to compete with Arsenal and Manchester United for matchday revenue; and secondly the playing squad.

The possible departure off the Anfield scene of the two Americans might be welcome news to Benites, who has fallen foul of them through his insistent demands for transfer funds; but the arrival of DIC as owners would not necessarily be good news for Benitez because they are thought to be keen to recruit Jose Mourinho, who is known to be interested in managing the club.

DIC were hours away from buying Liverpool last February, but lost out at the last minute to Hicks and Gillett when the club's chief executive, Rick Parry, switched his support from the Arab camp, who were perceived to be taking too long to act decisively, to the Americans.

The US businessmen paid £174.1m for a 100 per cent shareholding, also agreeing to take on the club's then debt of £44.8m.

But their purchase of Liverpool was funded solely by borrowed money. The pair's loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland grew to £350million as it was used to fund several high-profile summer transfers, as well as development work and architect's plans for the proposed new 60,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park - and to roll up the interest on the debt.

Now the RBS loan is due for repayment next month, and The Observer understands that attempts to restructure it have so far failed, while the Americans have not yet injected new equity into the refinancing.

RBS have asked Hicks and Gillett each to commit £20million of their own cash to the deal, but City sources believe that at least one of the two businessmen is not prepared to do so. Hicks and Gillett themselves were not commenting on the situation on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, work on the 'New Anfield' stadium project has been suspended while the acquisition loan issue is resolved, with no chance of funding being put in place for the £400m stadium project until it is.

A meeting in New York last week at which architects HKS and AFL presented competing stadium designs, was described by Parry merely as "another big step forward to finding the best possible solution. Everyone is reflecting on what they have heard and a clear decision will be taken soon."

The Guardian reports that RBS could even become Liverpool's new owner. "The global credit crunch has made it harder for Hicks and Gillett to raise new revenues elsewhere and also affected the value of their other assets," explains the paper. "Should they fail in their efforts to repay the £350m acquisition debt on Liverpool when it comes due in just over six weeks, there would be the possibility of the next owner of the club becoming RBS."

However, it is thought that the bank, Parry and Liverpool's honorary life-president David Moores, the former principal shareholder, are unlikely to allow the situation to develp in that way.

Parry and Moores are "horrified that the Hicks-Gillett deal has not thus far brought long-term financial stability to the club. As a consequence, there are increasing tensions between the Americans and other board members as the refinancing deadline approaches."

And Parry and Moores are thought to be open to a second takeover.

That brings DIC back into the equation. Sources in the Middle East have confirmed that DIC remain as interested in buying Liverpool as they were last year.

DIC last night refused to comment, but could solve the financial problems besetting Liverpool. A £500 million purchase price wold enable the two Americans to ride off into the sunset with a profit of £75millon each.