Rafa Benitez admits Fifa's rules would not dissuade him from
bidding for Javier Mascherano, although he refused to confirm he
wanted to sign the midfielder.
Mascherano is desperate to leave West Ham United after struggling
to settle since arriving at Upton Park from Corinthians in
August.
Juventus have dropped their interest in the Argentine and he has
been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool.
Fifa rules prevent a player turning out for more than two clubs
between a period of 1st July and 30th June.
Reds boss Benitez is not put off by the regulations, but was
reluctant to commit himself to an interest in Mascherano.
"There are a lot of similar situations with players who have played
for three clubs in the same season, and in some cases four, so I
think it is not a problem," said Benitez.
"We are watching good players and we want to find someone who can
add more balance, but at this moment we are focusing on the next
game and we are not talking about players.
"I don't like to talk about those names and rumours in the
press."
Benitez also reiterated his stance that Liverpool duo Peter Crouch
and Xabi Alonso are not for sale.
Crouch has been linked with Newcastle and Juventus, while Alonso
has been tipped to return to Spain.
"This is clear, we don't want to sell Peter Crouch," said
Benitez.
"He (Alonso) has a contract and we are happy with him. He's happy
with the club, it was simply a rumour, nothing serious."