Juventus supremo John Elkann is convinced they can land Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.

The Mirror says Juve are willing to wait until June for answer from Benitez after a personal intervention from the new president of FIAT.

The Serie A giants had wanted a definite answer from the Liverpool manager by the end of this week.

But John Elkann, who took over the running of Juventus' parent company yesterday, now believes a deal is so close they are ready to give the Spaniard more time.

Elkann, the New York-born heir to the Agnelli fortune, is not directly involved in the day-to-day running of his family's club.

But the 34-year-old has instructed Carlo Sant'Albano, his director on the Juventus board, to conclude the signing of Benitez to relaunch his ailing club.

Sant'Albano and Juventus president Jean Claude Blanc are continuing talks with Benitez's agent Manuel Garcia Quilon after their meeting in Milan last week.

The Italian club have offered the Spaniard a four-year deal and £175m to invest in the transfer market with the promised signings of Javier Mascherano and Edin Dzeko.

Benitez has asked to bring eight of his staff from Anfield to Turin and overhaul the management structure of the club.