Tonight’s Carling Cup Qtr-final sees Sven’s high-flying Man City entertain Spurs. Click here for all the latest match betting!

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has rubbished claims that manager Rafael Benitez has been told he cannot do any transfer deals in January.

It had been reported that Liverpool’s American co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks had told Benitez that there would be no players coming in and none leaving Anfield.

But Parry told BBC Sport: “I can say that this is absolute rubbish.”

However, despite pleas from Benitez that Javier Mascherano be signed in January, Liverpool are expected to wait until the summer to complete a proposed £17m move for the Argentinian.

Benitez met Hicks and Gillett after Sunday’s defeat against Manchester United at Anfield in an attempt to resolve recent differences over transfer policy.

The meeting was described as “amicable” – although Benitez was told to keep any future disagreements out of the public domain.

The manager was pleased with the meeting, saying: “We needed to clarify the situation and it was a very positive meeting.

“The conversation was very fluid because we were face to face, whereas it’s more difficult over the phone or by e-mail.

“My English isn’t always the best but having the chance to talk to them slowly and with time allowed us to analyse small problems. Now we can move forward.”

Peter Crouch and Momo Sissoko have been linked with moves away from Liverpool, while Benitez had also been hopeful of signing Milan defender Kakha Kaladze on a Bosman-style free transfer.

Tonight’s Carling Cup Qtr-final sees Sven’s high-flying Man City entertain Spurs. Click here for all the latest match betting!