Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is confident a permanent deal for Javier Mascherano will soon be struck.

He told liverpoolfc.tv: "It is progressing. Rick Parry has been working on this and Momo Sissoko.

"We are working hard on Mascherano and maybe we can say something positive in a few days.

"Really, we don't need to do anything because the player is already with us, it's just got to be finished. If we can finish it now, that would be perfect.

"He is here already and if we don't do anything he can still play for us. But he wants to stay."