Hicks denies sale rumours

SOCCER/Liverpool v Aston Villa:Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks insists he has no intention of accepting an offer for his stake in the club.

Reports over the weekend had suggested Dubai International Capital (DIC), the investment arm of the government, were preparing to launch a bid to buy the club.

BBC Sport reported an offer was in the process of being made to American co-owners Hicks and George Gillett. And a report from a Merseyside media agency went so far as to suggest the club had in fact been sold to DIC.

But Hicks last night released a statement in which he described the latest report as "a complete fabrication and . . . absolutely and categorically untrue".

"I have not received any offer to purchase the club from the DIC or anyone else," Hicks said, "much less accepted any such offer. Nor do I have any intention of doing so.

"Whoever is behind this false report, the facts are that I and my family have always been, and remain, fully committed to co-owning the club; that no one in my family has ever indicated any intention or desire to sell our stake in the club; and that we expect and intend to be co-owners of the club, and to actively and enthusiastically support the club's manager, players and fans for many years to come."

On the field, manager Rafael Benitez believes the time has come for Liverpool to show the clubs snapping at their heels they will not become an easy target in the race for Champions League qualification.

Benitez knows his players could become distracted by the buy-out rumours and believes there must be a show of strength on the pitch.

Anything else and Liverpool could find themselves not only failing to finish fourth but potentially missing out on qualifying for Europe altogether.

That would be a catastrophic financial crisis on top of the boardroom battle and would certainly spell the end of the Spaniard's reign at Anfield.

Going into tonight's clash with Aston Villa - one of the clubs fighting to claim fourth spot - Benitez has demanded a statement of intent.

"We must keep winning, win our game in hand, and show our rivals that we aim to be in the top four and as high as possible in the table," he said. "Villa are closer to us now, as are Everton and Manchester City, so we know we cannot make any mistakes," he added.

"Martin O'Neill is a manager with great experience, and when you watch how excited he gets on the touchline, it is clear how important it is to him and how much support he gives to his players. It is difficult to play against any good team, but when they have a good manager as well it makes it even tougher."