Paul INCE's career was in freefall yesterday after he was told he had no future at Liverpool. Official confirmation that the former England midfielder is surplus to requirements at Anfield will come on Friday morning when he remains behind on Merseyside as his team-mates depart for a preseason training camp in Switzerland.

"Paul Ince is not in my plans for the future. I have told him that that's life," said the Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier.

The man who likes to refer to himself as "The Guv'nor" did not even put in an appearance at his club's training ground yesterday morning when the Liverpool senior squad reported back after the summer recess.

In the next few days, as an unsurprising consequence, Houllier will formally announce that Ince is to be stripped of the club captaincy, further bruising a notoriously fragile ego. Houllier will shortly name Jamie Redknapp as Liverpool's captain.

Though Houllier has never actually confirmed that Ince is available for transfer, he would sanction - and welcome - his departure. "I still think he is a very good player and I still think he can play for England," said Houllier. "But we are working towards something here, I know what I am doing and that is the end of it."

Liverpool would probably accept £1.8 million for him, but even at that price prospective buyers will be hard to find. Since the end of last season only two clubs - Middlesbrough and Fulham - have expressed any interest in signing the player. However late last night, West Ham manager Harry Redknapp was ready to sign the player who left the club 10 years ago for £1 million.

"If he was to bring us even more success then I am sure the fans would forgive. Success surely means everything," said Redknapp referring to the bad feeling which was generated when Ince left Upton Park.

Ince's situation has been shaped in part by the imminent signing of the Cameroon international midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe from West Ham for £4.6 million.

Foe underwent a rigorous medical yesterday with Houllier wanting to make sure the player has fully recovered from a broken leg. Sean Dundee, another player surplus to Houllier's requirements, is set to end his Liverpool days by joining VfB Stuttgart for around £1.5 million.

And West Ham midfielder Eyal Berkovic has announced that he could become a Celtic player inside the next 48 hours. The Israel international has been coveted by John Barnes since the new coach arrived at Parkhead last month.

Redknapp is resigned to losing Berkovic and the most recent Celtic bid of £5.5million is set to secure his services. Scotland's captain Colin Hendry revealed yesterday that his future is likely to lie away from Rangers. The 33-year-old central defender coach Dick Advocaat has told him he will be no more than a squad player next season.

Lee Clark, the Sunderland midfielder whose position at the Wearside club became untenable after he was photographed wearing a T-shirt mocking Sunderland fans, was last night finalising a £3 million move to first division Fulham.

One of the other two players Reid put on the transfer-list last week, Michael Bridges, was expected to join Leeds United after they increased their offer to £4.5 million.