BENITEZ FEARS TORRES EXIT

Rafa Benitez reportedly fears losing both Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres this summer due to the perilous state of Liverpool's finances and, although he will fight to keep the striker, is reputedly 'close to conceding defeat in his attempts to keep Mascherano'.

With Xabi Alonso linked with a move back to his native Spain, Benitez, who has already missed out on Gareth Barry, could lose both of his centre-midfielders over the next few weeks. According to The Sunday Times, Mascherano's departure has become something of an inevitability, with Real Madrid embarking on a bidding war with Barcelona and 'prepared to pay £38m for the joint transfer of Mascherano and right-back Alvaro Arbeloa'.

Yet it is the speculation over Torres' future that is bound to worry Liverpool fans the most, with the newspaper claiming that Benitez 'fears that Torres could be lost to Chelsea in a £60m heist'.

'Chelsea inquired about the 25-year-old earlier this year and Benitez believes the London club are now ready to offer as much as £60m. Fearing that Liverpool's hard-up owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, might struggle to resist, Benitez has made inquiries about Almeira centre-forward Alvaro Negredo as a replacement. Negredo is half-owned by Madrid and available for £15m,' the newspaper reports.

A similar claim is made on the backpage of The News of the World with the tabloid declaring that Chelsea are intent on uniting David Villa with Torres at Stamford Bridge.

'Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will do all he can to block the move. But he is worried the huge sum offered by Chelsea could tempt American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks,' it claims.

'Liverpool's true financial state will be revealed over the coming weeks and Benitez is beginning to fear the worst.

'At the end of the season Benitez was hopeful of landing 27-year-old Villa. Now he not only has to face up to Chelsea signing Villa but also targeting Torres.'

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Benzema on the move?

Lyon could be tempted to sell Karim Benzema to Manchester United if the Premier League side put in a big-money bid, according to director Bernard Lacombe.

Benzema is one of the world's hottest properties and speculation is rife that United are ready to use some of the money from the impending sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid to bring the young striker to Old Trafford.

Lacombe claimed recently Benzema would remain at the Stade Gerland, but has now revealed the 21-year-old could be sold if the price is right.

''He is with us, but no-one knows what will happen,'' Lacombe told regional daily Le Progres. ''At the time we didn't think that Michael Essien would leave, but when Chelsea came with their cheque...

''If Manchester United, who we all know have come into a lot of money, present an offer for Benzema, what can you do?''

Ronaldo is set to become Madrid's second signing of the summer, following the purchase of Kaka from AC Milan.

The pair will cost the club around 160million euros in transfer fees and Lacombe has lashed out at the Spaniards for distorting the market.

He added: ''The market is false because certain European clubs don't have official league bodies controlling how they are managed and can do what they want.

''I'm not bitter but how can Real Madrid, who are in debt, sign two players whose price is almost the same as Lyon's entire budget?

''It shocks we who are in the same environment, so I understand that people outside the football world are shocked. It's baffling, clumsy and disrespectful. Economically Spain is at a standstill. We can't support this.''

United are likely to step up their interest in signing a new striker following Carlos Tevez's decision to leave today.

Benzema came through the ranks at the French giants and burst onto the scene in he 2007-08 season with 31 goals in 51 games, a streak that saw him named Ligue 1 player of the year as well as top the league's scoring charts.

This campaign was less impressive for both club and player, as Lyon ended the season without the Ligue 1 title for the first time in eight years, but the France forward nevertheless scored 23 goals in all competitions - an average of a goal every other game.

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MASCH OFF TO BARCA

Word has been doing the rounds for a while now that Barcelona were sniffing around Javier Mascherano, but nobody really has anything concrete on the player's intentions. The Daily Mail seems pretty confident though. They describe Masch as a 'wantaway' star, and say he will indeed leave Liverpool for Cataluyna this summer, largely because his wife apparently doesn't fancy life in Blighty. The paper reports that Barcelona are preparing a bid worth £35million, which rather optimistically values young Bojan Krkic at £15million. In case you're mathematically deficient, that means they will chuck £20million and the wee striker at Liverpool and hope they fling Masch the other way. Still, that might not work, given that Rafa Benitez said in no uncertain terms that roughly double that fee would not be enough for their man.

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CITY CONFIDENT OF TEVEZ DEAL

Already on the verge of signing of Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £18m, Manchester City reportedly believe that Carlos Tevez is also 'as good as theirs'.

According to The Independent, City are 'confident they have the deal in place' and they will sign the Argentine just as soon as his loan deal with neighbours Manchester United expires in ten days' time.

'City can offer the best deal to the investment consortium that owns Tevez's rights, they can pay the wages he wants and give him the first-team football he made such a fuss about last season,' the newspaper reports.

There has as yet been no official indication from the Tevez camp regarding the forward's specific intentions, but he is understood to have turned his back on a proposed move to Liverpool, and Manchester United have confirmed that he will not be staying at Old Trafford.

Having already secured the services of Gareth Barry, City are poised to complete the signing of Santa Cruz once the player returns from holiday this weekend. He will, however, first have to pass a thorough medical examination having not played any competitive football since March due to a knee injury.

Remarkably, despite the expected arrivals of both Santa Cruz and Tevez, City are also believed to still retain an interest in signing Samuel Eto'o from Barcelona.

'The anticipated influx of forwards into Eastlands will render several current players surplus to requirements. City will to listen to offers for Felipe Caicedo, Jo, Benjani Mwaruwari, Darius Vassell and Ched Evans this summer while Daniel Sturridge is expected to depart against their wishes to Chelsea after the club refused to meet his wage demands

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TOSIC: WE KNEW RON WAS GOING

Manchester United midfielder Zoran Tosic has revealed the players knew Cristiano Ronaldo was going to leave the club this summer.

United have accepted an £80million offer from Real Madrid for the Portugal star, who has been the club's leading scorer for the past two seasons.

Ronaldo's desire to one day play for Madrid was no secret but it was the need for a new challenge that was behind the move, according to Tosic.

"He told us he had won all the awards and he wanted to try something else," the winger said. "I don't know if he had already signed for Real Madrid.

"He is going to again be the best player in the world. Last season he scored 42 goals, this time 27. And they all said it's his worst season because it was not enough. In Madrid he will be the best again."

Tosic, 22, joined United from Partizan Belgrade in January but has so far made only three first-term appearances.

Currently with Serbia Under-21s at the European Championships in Sweden, he is hoping he can help fill the void left by Ronaldo's impending departure.

"Cristiano was the best player in the team and so someone will come in to take his place. I hope I will get the chance," he added.

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PAV SEARCHING FOR NEW CLUB

Roman Pavlyuchenko's agent has declared that he is looking for a new club for the Tottenham striker.

The Russia international moved to White Hart Lane last summer but only showed glimpses of his best form and struggled to stay in the side under Harry Redknapp.

With Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane returning to Spurs and more new arrivals expected during the summer, Pavlyuchenko has been tipped to leave the club.

And his representative Oleg Artemov has now announced that he is looking at other options.

"I am busy with the search for a new club for Roman," Artemov said in the Daily Mirror.

Pavlyuchenko made a big-money switch from Spartak Moscow 12 months ago and Artemov accepts that it will take a considerable offer for Tottenham to part with the 27-year-old.

Stuttgart are considering a swoop for Pavlyuchenko but Artemov concedes there have been no formal discussions as yet.

He explained: "Earlier this week I received a phone call from the Stuttgart manager who officially confirmed their interest in Pavlyuchenko.

"But it is still too early to begin intensive negotiations. A lot is going to depend on the player's opinion and that of Tottenham.

"What I know for sure is that Tottenham are going to lose money and sell Pavlyuchenko just anywhere for any money.

"I talked to (Spurs chairman) Daniel Levy. He told me that he doesn't think Roman has become cheaper now.

"Forwards are always in short supply in football and their value shouldn't drop even in the credit crunch times."

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Tevez Rejection A Blessing For United

So that's another saga finally over.

It appears that Manchester United did their utmost to keep Carlos Tevez at Old Trafford, but his departure - even if it is to a hated rival - could well be a blessing for Alex Ferguson.

Tevez is an excellent player, that much is obvious to anyone, but he is not the player that his popularity with United fans suggests.

It's a classic British case of valuing work rate over genuine class. That the vast majority of United fans favour Tevez over Dimitar Berbatov - a man whose languid style can be infuriating, but whose skill is undeniable - proves this.

It's far from ideal that United will have to replace two of their main four forwards this summer, compounded by the fact that they probably had to buy two players to replace Cristiano Ronaldo anyway.

However, the probability is that, by rejecting their five-year contract offer in favour of more football or more money (depending on your point of view), Tevez could well have done United a favour.

United confirmed they agreed to pay £25.5million for the permanent rights for Tevez, which added to the loan fees they already shelled out over the last two years, means the Argentine would probably have ended up costing them around £35million.

That's a huge amount for a man who runs around a lot, but often doesn't produce the sort of quality demanded by the Premier League champions. There's a reason why Ferguson didn't trust Tevez enough to use him in most of the really big games last season.

United already have plenty of industry. Wayne Rooney plays a similar role to Tevez but with more flexibility, while the likes of Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves (when/if he gets fit) and Park Ji-Sung will do all the running.

What United need is flair. Genuinely exciting players who can carve the best teams apart in the way that Ronaldo did. Alex Ferguson can now use the money to put towards the seemingly inevitable signing of Luis Antonio Valencia, who while his current talent has perhaps been over-stated, can mature from promise to class in the same way Ronaldo did. There's no guarantee that he will ever reach that sort of level, but there's no better place to try than United.

It also frees up cash to pursue a genuinely penetrative striker like Karim Benzema, a class winger like David Silva, or perhaps other promising youngster like Douglas Costa of Gremio.

Even outside bets like Franck Ribery (he might prove too expensive), or even Aaron Lennon (he's improving under Harry Redknapp, so imagine how he'd do under Ferguson) would perhaps be better bets for United's cash than Tevez.

With any other manager you might think that they will panic, but despite the transfer mistakes Ferguson has made down the years, one suspects he will spend United's money wisely.

It might feel like a rejection now, but United should really consider this a relief.

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Egypt Stuns Italy At Confederations Cup

Egypt upset world champions Italy 1-0 at the Confederations Cup on Thursday to ensure the outcome of Group B hangs in the balance.

All four teams can still reach the semi-finals after Mohamed Hommos' goal five minutes before halftime clinched the first points of the tournament for the African champions, who had narrowly lost to Brazil in their opening game.

Key second half saves from goalkeeper Essam Al Hadari kept the Italians at bay while Vincenzo Iaquinta hit the bar with just minutes remaining as Egypt weathered a late onslaught.

Brazil, who beat the U.S. in Pretoria earlier on Thursday, lead the standings with six points while Italy and Egypt have three.

Brazil and Italy meet in Pretoria on Sunday while the Egyptians play the Americans, who have yet to pick up a point, in Rustenburg at the same time.

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Traore makes Monaco move

Monaco have signed Mali international defender Djimi Traore from Portsmouth.

The former Liverpool full-back, who spent the end of last season on loan with Birmingham, has penned a two-year deal with the Ligue 1 outfit.

Traore saw his time at St Andrews badly hit by injuries and he made just three appearances during his stint with Alex McLeish's side.

Traore collected several medals during his time at Anfield, including glory in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final.

He moved to Merseyside from French club Laval before being sold to Charlton in a £2million deal August 2006.

Traore joined Pompey the following January, but was never able to secure a regular first-team berth and made only 11 league starts at Fratton Park.

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Chelsea agree Johnson fee

Portsmouth accepted a £17.5million bid from Liverpool earlier this week and the 24-year-old looked set to seal a move to Anfield.

However, Pompey chief Peter Storrie has confirmed the club have also now agreed terms with Chelsea - Johnson's former club.

The in-demand full-back now has a decision to make, with both sides keen to tie up a deal this week.

"The matter will come to a conclusion at the beginning of next week. I do not have a preference over the move, it is up to Glen," Storrie said.

"The deals are almost identical so it really is down to him and what club he prefers, which one is going to pay him more money.

"Glen wants to play regularly in the Champions League, he has got himself back in the England side so I understand that. Sometimes you have to be fair to players."

Storrie admits that Johnson needs to be playing Champions League football next season in order to secure his place in Fabio Capello's starting XI - with the World Cup finals now less than 12 months away.

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