Rumour Mill: City to swoop for Mascherano

Apparently, a meeting took place in a London hotel last week between one of the playr's advisors and a close associate of Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Argentinian midfielder is owned by a consortium headed by Kia Joorabchian. His loan spell with Liverpool runs until the end of the season, at which point the Reds must pay £17m if they want to keep him.

The Mascherano situation is allegedly one of the main reasons for Rafael Benitez's recent spat with club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

A bidding war is the last thing Benitez needs if he is to sign the player, with Barcelona and Juventus also monitoring the situation