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• Fee believed to be close to Liverpool’s £25m valuation
• Argentina midfielder to sign four-year contract

Javier Mascherano’s long-awaited transfer to Barcelona is set to be completed this weekend after Liverpool accepted a bid from the Catalans.

The midfielder almost joined the La Liga champions 12 months ago only for former manager Rafael Benitez to eventually price him out of a move.

However, with the 26-year-old keen to move for personal reasons – he constantly complained his family had not settled in England – the club came to an agreement with him that if they received an acceptable bid they would allow him to leave.

After rejecting an initial bid of £16m from Barcelona last weekend an offer has now been forthcoming which comes close to their valuation of £25m.

The player was never likely to stay once he became aware of Barcelona’s initial bid and told Hodgson he did not want to play in Monday’s defeat to Manchester City.

But Liverpool were never going to accept anything less than they paid for Mascherano when they rescued him from West Ham’s reserves for £18m three and a half years ago.

“Liverpool Football Club have agreed terms for the transfer of Javier Mascherano to FC Barcelona,” said a Liverpool statement. “The Spanish club have now been given permission to speak to the Argentina midfielder.”

This week Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admitted he was in the market for a defensive midfielder having been thwarted in his attempts to sign primary transfer target Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal.

Reports in the Spanish media earlier this week claimed Mascherano had already agreed a four-year, £85,000-a-week contract and, now Liverpool have accepted a fee, the Argentina captain will travel to Barcelona for a medical this weekend.

A statement from Barcelona appeared to confirm that, with the Catalans even suggesting Mascherano played a part in the final negotiations.

“FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Javier Mascherano to the club for the next four seasons,” it said.

“The deal was closed after intensive efforts made by the club in the final hours and through the player himself in the negotiations.

“Barcelona will report the details of the operation once the player passes the medical and the transfer is concluded.

“It is hoped Javier Mascherano will arrive in Barcelona this weekend.”

Transfer windowLiverpoolBarcelonaguardian.co.uk

• ‘My future is at Liverpool,’ says Kuyt after win in Turkey
• Roy Hodgson hopes to complete signing of Paul Konchesky

Dirk Kuyt pledged his immediate future to Liverpool tonight as Roy Hodgson’s team secured a late victory over Trabzonspor to reach the Europa League group stage.

The Dutch international was linked with a reunion with Rafael Benítez at Internazionale by his own agent this week, while Liverpool have also received – and flatly rejected – a £6m plus Sulley Muntari offer from Inter for Javier Mascherano. The Argentina captain is the subject of on-going talks between Barcelona and Liverpool but, after scoring his side’s second goal in a 2-1 win in Turkey, Kuyt insisted he had no interest in following Mascherano in looking for a move out of Anfield.

“My future is at Liverpool,” said Kuyt. “I have had four great years at the club. Unfortunately I have not won any trophies but hopefully I will do in the future. The point for me was that I’m 30 years old and I wanted to know if any club in the world showed any interest in me. The club spoke to me and explained everything. They said I was really important for Liverpool and that made me a really proud person. At that point I focused my thoughts on Liverpool.”

Liverpool hope to complete the signing of Paul Konchesky from Fulham once Hodgson’s former club have installed a replacement, understood to be PSV Eindhoven’s Mexico international Carlos Salcido, a player the Anfield club have also considered.

“Dirk is a player I’ve always said is an important part of my plans,” said Hodgson. “I made it perfectly clear we don’t welcome any offers and he’s not for sale. But that doesn’t mean in the background there have not been talks between his agent and the club. But as far as I’m concerned he is someone I believe in and count on. It’s important we improve the team around the likes of Gerrard, Reina, Torres and Kuyt, and not sell them.”

As for Inter’s renewed interest in Mascherano, which Liverpool insist is now dead, the manager added: “I saw a fax the other day but I think it was sent tongue in cheek to be perfectly honest. It was so unbelievably far from our valuation I thought he (the sporting director Marco Branca) was putting it in to satisfy people at his club. We didn’t even bother to answer, that’s how ridiculously far from our valuation it was.”

LiverpoolTransfer windowAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk

• Man Utd striker will line-up alongside former team-mates
• Owen uncertain about reaction from Anfield crowd

Michael Owen is to pull on the colours of Liverpool for the first time since leaving the club six years ago after agreeing to brave a potential backlash from Manchester United’s supporters by playing for his old team in Jamie Carragher’s testimonial match. Owen, reviled by some Liverpool fans after crossing one of the game’s oldest divides, is said to be uncertain of the reaction he will get from the Anfield crowd but does not have great expectations considering the abuse when he returned last season for the first time since joining their rivals at Old Trafford.

The former England striker has given his word to Carragher, however, that he will play in the match at Anfield on Saturday week, swapping the red of United for that of the team where he began his career. Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, has given him permission to play for 45 minutes and Owen will be in attack for a Liverpool XI taking on an Everton XI.

Carragher has also persuaded Jamie Redknapp, Danny Murphy, Jason McAteer and Emile Heskey to play, but he had told Owen he would understand if he thought it was too delicate for him politically bearing in mind the rivalry between Liverpool and United.

There is also the distinct possibility that United’s fans will not be too impressed about one of their players being willing to wear a Liverpool shirt, especially with their first encounter of the season to follow only two weekends later.

Owen, though, regards Carragher as one of his closest friends in football and the organisers hope the goodwill felt towards the long-serving Liverpool defender will persuade the Anfield crowd to go easy on their former player and maybe even demonstrate some warmth and appreciation for a man who scored over 200 goals for the club in eight years and has been described by Steven Gerrard as “the best striker in the history of Liverpool Football Club.” Nonetheless, it is understood Owen will be given his own security on his way to and from the stadium.

Michael OwenLiverpoolManchester UnitedDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk