Fulham wanted Hyypia

The London club were preparing a £1m bid for the Liverpool defender but they will be unsuccessful as Hyypia, who has one year left on his contract, wants another crack at the title with the Reds.

"I have one more year to go and, hopefully, I'll play as many games as I did last season," says Hyppia.

"After that, I'll see what I'm going to do. Is this my last chance to win the league with Liverpool? We'll see.

"In the last few seasons, we have started slowly in the league and this time around we must do better.

"After the first two months, we can't be nine points behind the top teams. We need to be closer to the top."