Javier Mascherano has already agreed terms on an £85,000 a week contract with Barcelona, it has been claimed.
The midfielder refused to play in Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City on Monday night, with boss Roy Hodgson admitting that the 26-year-old’s head had been turned.
The Reds have rejected a £16million offer that included a £4m-rated Alexander Hleb as part of the deal, but reports in Catalonia believe the clubs will soon find some common ground.
However, Hodgson insisted that Liverpool would not bow to pressure, despite Mascherano’s determination to leave.
‘Mascherano was not in the right frame of mind to play,’ he said at Eastlands. ‘His head has been turned.
Makeweight: Alexander Hleb has failed to settle since joining Barca from Arsenal
‘But he should know that the fee we would want and the fee we have been offered by Barcelona are some distance apart. That being the case, it could be that he is unhappy for a long time yet.’
Liverpool have offered the Argentina a new contract that would see his earnings jump dramatically from £30,000 to £100,000 a week.
Mascherano indicated last season he was happy to stay and eager to sign a new deal, but performed a U-turn earlier this month by insisting he wanted to quit the country. Hodgson revealed that the former West Ham midfielder’s wife had not settled on Merseyside.
Barca’s four-year offer may be lower than that on the table from Liverpool, but Mascherano expects he would fit in well at the Nou Camp and has a huge dressing room ally in Lionel Messi.
Hleb is understood to be keen to join Liverpool, but Hodgson may seek a straight cash deal. Real Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra could be signed from Real Madrid as a direct replacement for Mascherano.
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