Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez isn't likely to sign his new contract until the end of the season.

The News of the World says in another challenge to the club's board, Benitez insists he has no intention of committing to the club unless they agree to more radical changes. He has been firing off angry e-mails across the Atlantic, accusing his bosses of refusing to back him.

Benitez has now boxed himself into a corner, claiming he can't continue under the current structure at the club. Tom Hicks has been sympathetic to Benitez in the past but he doesn't have the power or will to meet all his manager's demands.

It is now understood even Hicks is bemused by the stubborn refusal of Benitez to sign the £16m contract. Hicks' negotiating team have been working overtime to frame a deal which underlines Benitez's control of transfer policy, while ensuring a degree of accountability to his board remains intact.

But the Liverpool manager says Hicks hasn't gone far enough and now appears to be demanding the complete marginalisation of chief executive Rick Parry and co-owner George Gillett Jr.

Benitez insists he does want to extend his stay on Merseyside but he's told friends he won't sign without a major shake-up at Anfield. He's now risking Hicks pulling the plug on talks until the summer.