Liverpool are considering selling Stephen Warnock to Blackburn for about £1.5m as they seek funds to spend on new signings during the transfer window, with the club's takeover by Dubai International Capital not due to be completed until early next month.
Warnock, a product of the club's academy, was earmarked to be used in a swap deal for Rovers' Lucas Neill only for the Australian to reject a move to Anfield after being offered a higher salary by West Ham United. Yet Blackburn would only sanction Neill's departure if they could secure an immediate replacement, so they kept talking to Liverpool about Warnock, who is expected to have a medical today.
Liverpool continue to wait on word from Fifa whether they will be allowed to sign Javier Mascherano from West Ham. The Argentinian has already played for two clubs - Corinthians and the Hammers - since July, meaning Liverpool must seek special dispensation to sign him on loan for the rest of the campaign, but in documentation sent to the game's governing body they have cited instances where players have been allowed to move. Arsenal's Jérémie Aliadière played for Celtic, West Ham United and the Championship club Wolves on loan last season, and Jon Stead, now of Sheffield United, has also been registered with the second-tier sides Sunderland and Derby County during the current campaign.
"We are trying to find a solution with Fifa and believe we have a good case to appeal for the transfer to go ahead," said Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benítez. "People say we can't do this deal, but why are there so many other examples? I know of one player who played for four clubs in a year.
"There needs to be a solution and I still have confidence the player can join us. There are rules in football but they are not laws that can't be challenged. The Bosman case proved that."
Gary McAllister will talk to the Scottish Football Association today, the former Coventry manager's chances of at least being offered a place on the national team's staff having increased with yesterday's resignation of Tommy Burns.
Burns, assistant to the past two Scotland managers, Walter Smith and Berti Vogts, has surprisingly severed all ties with the SFA to concentrate on being a first-team coach and head of youth development at Celtic.
Alex McLeish is the favourite to replace Smith, who was appointed as Rangers manager last week. McLeish may take over as early as next week and would look to take his long-time assistant, Andy Watson, into the national set-up. The SFA is also investigating the possibility of Ally McCoist remaining as a part-time coach despite joining Smith at Ibrox.