Rafael Benitez is on the verge of making Borussia Dortmund defender Philipp Degen his first summer signing at Liverpool after persuading Anfield's warring co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, to sanction his plans for reinforcements.

Switzerland international Degen, who can play on both sides of the back four, will complete a Bosman move to Liverpool at the end of the season and Benitez will now step up efforts to lure Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry, Wigan winger Antonio Valencia and Athletic Bilbao centre-half Fernando Amorebieta to the club.

With the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future ownership of the club, doubts had begun to emerge over Benitez's readiness to stay at Anfield next season.

However, after a "positive'' meeting with Hicks this week which, crucially, was staged with Gillett's blessing, Benitez is now confident that he will be free to pursue his leading targets with the backing of the estranged Americans.

Benitez said: "It was very positive. We spoke about some targets and everybody now knows the names and how to progress, so it was positive. All of them (Gillett and chief executive Rick Parry) were not in the meeting, but everybody now knows the situation.

"If you have a target, you need to speak with everyone about the price and how to progress, but everybody knows now, so I think we have progressed.

"I have a responsibility as the manager. People talk about Hicks and Gillett, but we have two owners and a chief executive and a responsibility for improving the squad for next season. We needed to say to the owners, 'these are the targets and we think we can go in this way', and that was the purpose of the meeting.''

Although Benitez invested more than £40m in his squad last summer to secure Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun, Liverpool remain in the slipstream of Chelsea and Manchester United in terms of spending power.

And with Peter Crouch, Jermaine Pennant and John Arne Riise likely to attract bids from rival clubs this summer, Liverpool's net spending could be below the £20m mark. Benitez believes he can improve his squad without spending huge sums.

He said: "I'm sure we won't need too much. Our squad is much better now and we maybe need to sign four or five players, but we will not need to spend big, big money. It is all about doing the deals at the right moment.

"I will not give you any names, but there are some players in the top sides who are not performing well and their cost was massive.

"If you want to win the title, you must spend millions and millions. The key is maybe to sign the players that you need and the players that will make the squad stronger.'

- vidic spreman za "clash of the titans" u subotu

Capello On Euro 2008, United And Ronaldinho

Fabio Capello believes that France, Italy and Spain are favourites to win Euro 2008, while Manchester United are his pick for the Champions League and he thinks that AC Milan should not sign Ronaldinho.

Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy has signed a new three-year contract at Ewood Park which will keep the South African at the club until 2011.

E moj Carvalho....

Fuj. Ne znam koji su mi odvratniji, ..nikakve simpatije, i celski i manchester nekakvi ...strašno, koja antipatija.

ali recimo da bi mi draže bilo malo manchester da osvoji, ipak je celski ..umjetan do krajnje granice...

bljak.

U kojeg jadnika se pretvorio nekada veliki majstor, Shevchenko.

Šta pohlepa uradi čovjeku, evo ga sad puca od sreće, ušao prije 10 minuta, i evo spasio gol...a nekada bio prvi strijelac europe.

nije samo pohlepa, ne zaboravi ni ženu...