"It's not finished yet but I am hoping to stay here," Mascherano told Liverpool's official website. "I have a lot of confidence that after the next week I will be able to say; 'Everything is right and I am staying here in Liverpool.'

"We now need to wait. We are very close but we need to talk again next week.

"I think everything will be okay. I've waited a long time, so I can wait one week more.

"The fans like me and I love the fans. They are great and that's the reason I want to stay here."