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• Dutchman saddened by Rafael Benítez’s Anfield departure
• Everyone wants to keep Stevie at the club, he says

Dirk Kuyt has expressed his disappointment at Rafael Benítez’s departure from Liverpool and hopes the Spaniard will not be followed out of Anfield by the captain, Steven Gerrard.

Benítez left Liverpool this month and has since taken over at Internazionale, bringing an end to a six-year tenure at Anfield which included the highlight of winning the Champions League in 2005.

Kuyt was signed by Benítez from Dutch side Feyenoord a year later and the 29-year-old admitted he would be forever thankful to the Spaniard for giving him his chance in English football. “I was sad to see Rafa go. He was the manager who brought me over to Liverpool and I think he is a great manager,” said Kuyt.

“He was very important for Liverpool. He won the Champions League and did wonderful things for the club. I would just like to thank Rafa for bringing me to Liverpool and making me the player I am now.”

Following Benítez’s departure there have been fears on Merseyside that Gerrard could follow him out of the club, with the new Real Madrid manager, José Mourinho, reportedly keen on luring a player he almost signed while he was with Chelsea.

That would be a major blow to Liverpool’s hopes next season in the eyes of Kuyt, after they could only manage a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season. “I wouldn’t like to see Stevie G go. Everyone wants to keep Stevie at the club,” Kuyt said. “He is the captain of the team, he’s very important and his heart is bleeding Liverpool.

“So it must be a very good offer or a very good club if he wants to leave. But I don’t know what will happen. It’s just up to him and the club. I have spoken to Stevie while I have been here. We wished each other all the best before the games started but we just talked about football and not his future.”

LiverpoolSteven GerrardRafael BenítezTransfer windowguardian.co.uk

• Israeli believed to have finalised four-year contract
• Fee yet to be agreed between clubs

Yossi Benayoun has, according to reports, agreed to join Chelsea on a four-year contract from Liverpool, although it is believed that both clubs have yet to agree a fee.

Chelsea have reportedly been pursuing the Israeli international for some time and see him as an ideal replacement for Joe Cole, who will leave the club next month after failing to agree terms on an extension to his deal at Stamford Bridge.

Benayoun has been a moderate success at Liverpool since joining for £5m in July 2007 but is believed to have fallen out with the former manager Rafael Benítez during the last campaign and has been looking to leave Anfield ever since.

According to the Israeli Sport 5 website, the 30-year-old has finalised personal terms with the Premier League champions, but the move is far from completed. Chelsea, it is believed, do not want to spend more than £4m on the player while Liverpool want closer to £10m.

Liverpool are currently without a manager following the departure of Benítez earlier this month and it is also possible that his replacement, widely expected to be Roy Hodgson, could demand that Benayoun remains at the club. It is likely, though, that a compromise will be reached shortly that will see the former West Ham player return to London.

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• Fans already incensed with owners hit by increase
• Liverpool were third-highest paying club for wages in 2008-09

Liverpool have announced the ticket prices for next season, with an increase of 7% hitting supporters who are already incensed with the club’s American owners. There had been fears the new ticket prices would be higher as the announcement was late but even so an increase is not going to be well-received with the team finishing seventh in the league and missing out on Champions League football.

Supporters will also argue that an increase could have been avoided althogether if the co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, had not loaded the club with debts of £350m. Kop seats will be £680 online (£732 at window), with the Main Stand, Paddock and Centenary Stands £732 online (£785 at window) and the Anfield Road end, £722 (£774 at window), according to the club’s official website.

The long-awaited details came as a new report showed Liverpool are the third highest paying club for player wages in the Premier League, up 18% in 2008/9, according to the Liverpool Echo. The season ticket prices are understood to be based on purchases being made before June 25.

Liverpool are currently looking for a new manager after Rafael Benítez left the club by mutual consent. Roy Hodgson appears to be the front-runner but there have been no confirmation of talks between Liverpool and his club Fulham or the manager himself.

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