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• ‘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

• Hodgson says former manager agreed not to raid Anfield
• Benítez signed an agreement when he left, Hodgson adds

Roy Hodgson has accused Rafael Benítez of reneging on an agreement not to sign Liverpool players after Dirk Kuyt’s agent claimed the Holland international wants to leave for Internazionale.

The Liverpool manager received an assurance last week from Massimo Moratti, the Inter president, that the European champions had ended their interest in Kuyt and Javier Mascherano, who has since become a target for Barcelona. Kuyt’s future is now in doubt ahead of the transfer deadline after his agent, Rob Jansen, claimed negotiations are continuing with Inter despite the pledge.

“The two clubs continue to talk, but things are moving slowly,” said Jansen. “The difference between demand and offer is important. It is something between the clubs but Dirk told Liverpool he no longer wants to be involved as this is something that regards his career and life. It doesn’t mean he wants to leave at all costs, but when a club like Inter comes along it’s normal to look into the situation further.”

That drew a scornful response from Hodgson in Turkey, where he is preparing for tomorrow night’s Europa League play-off second leg against Trabzonspor without Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Milan Jovanovic and Maxi Rodríguez. “Dirk Kuyt has not told me he wants to go and we have not received an offer from any club for Dirk Kuyt,” he said. “There is obviously something going on behind the scenes, possibly involving the agent of Dirk Kuyt and the manager of Inter.

“At this late stage in the transfer window it would be remarkably unusual for us to accept an offer for a player we don’t want to leave for money we don’t need. I need the player. I don’t need the money. I would suggest, with all due respect, that if the agent had a serious plan to move him (Kuyt) from the club he should have been working on it four or five weeks ago, not with a few days of the window remaining, because it is very unlikely that we would receive an offer from any club that we would entertain now.

“When Benítez left the club he signed an agreement he would not poach players from Liverpool and I think that still applies. As far as I’m concerned, the agreement with Moratti still stands.”

The Liverpool manager, however, confirmed he is keen on signing the Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky despite earlier declaring that he would not pursue players from the club he took to last season’s Europa League final.

Hodgson said: “We have had discussion with Fulham but it’s by no means certain they are prepared to sell players. But I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t a name we have considered at left-back. Whether there is any business depends on the clubs.”

Talks between Liverpool and Barcelona are continuing over Mascherano, although the two clubs remain poles apart over a transfer fee. Alberto Aquilani has completed his season-long loan to Juventus and Krisztian Nemeth has signed a three-year contract with Olympiakos. “Liverpool told us that it is not a question of quality but a financial decision. As it is with others this season,” said Nemeth’s agent, Tibor Pataky.

LiverpoolRoy HodgsonRafael BenítezInternazionaleAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk

Today’s tell-all says massive props to the Jester from Leicester

If Kenwyne Jones was making even half the impression on the field that he is in the Rumour Mill this transfer window, there’s a fair chance Sunderland might have been monstered only 7-3 by Chelsea on Saturday. Despite his minimal contribution to the Mackem cause in recent months, the giant Trinidad & Tobago striker is being touted as a solution to Liverpool’s profligacy in front of goal, with Rafael Benítez obviously having spotted something in his return of one goal and one red card in the last 10 games that the rest of us have missed. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.

With just a few coppers and a couple of those 20 drachma coins with the holes bored through the middle that find their way into everyone’s piggy bank to his name, Benítez can’t afford a transfer fee and wants to take Jones on loan or trade him in for one used Ryan Babel. The Dutchman’s reluctance to move nearer his native Amsterdam by relocating to Wearside means a loan deal is the more likely option.

Elsewhere on the Rumour Mill’s internet machine, we’re unreliably informed that a certain pair of Americans who shall remain nameless have sounded out Mark Hughes about replacing the beleaguered Benítez. Whether or not it is true is anyone’s guess, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time Waldorf and Statler have gone behind their manager’s back with a view to replacing him with somebody with a far less impressive curriculum vitae.

Despite insisting over Christmas that he’d be neither buying nor selling, Harry Redknapp will renew his interest in bringing David James to Tottenham in a bid to keep the sweats, shakes and heebie-jeebies of withdrawal at bay. The Portsmouth goalkeeper is just nine appearance away from triggering a clause in his contract that would force Pompey to shell out lots of money they don’t have to somebody-or-other, a state of affairs which should hasten the England No1’s departure from Fratton Park. Harry is also believed to be interested in Joe Cole, who is out of contract at Chelsea come season’s end, but futuristic-sounding Stamford Bridge suit Bruce Buck has declared his intention to keep the midfielder as one of the star attractions at John Terry’s Training Ground Tours.

With much-coveted striker Jermaine Beckford having agreed to remain at Leeds until the end of the season, Newcastle United have turned their attention to another up-and-coming young tyro in the hope of keeping the goals coming. Nolberto “Nobby” Solano, 58, a young Peruvian lad whom the Rumour Mill’s spies have described as “a bit special” has been training with Newcastle and has, according to the Mirror, “hugely impressed the coaching staff with his ball skills”. Available for free after winning the Peruvian league with Universitario de Deportes, the trumpet-playing midfielder and dead-ball specialist is already a crowd favourite at Newcastle, won’t cost too much in wages and would help make up the numbers in ranks that will be further depleted when loanee Danny Simpson returns to Manchester United and Geremi is pushed out of a moving car and abandoned in the wake of tonight’s win over West Brom.

Having seen his number go up, in the literal sense, at Goodison Park a mere 51 minutes after being brought on as a substitute on Saturday, Robinho’s number would appear to be up, in the metaphorical sense, at Manchester City, despite all the smoke that Roberto Mancini blew up his jacksy when he first took over at the club.

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has slapped a £15m price-tag Scott Parker. The Mirror claims it’s to scare off potential suitors who have been sniffing around the midfielder, but today’s Rumours reckon it’s because the Italian is enjoying the novelty of not being the shortest person at training every day.

Out of contract with Standard Liège this summer and wanted by both Liverpool and Milan, Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic has a big, big decision to make: should he fully immerse himself in Italian culture by moving in to a luxury Milanese city centre apartment or opt for the quiet life and buy a villa on the outskirts of Cassano Magnago, near the Serie A side’s Milanello training ground? Decisions, decisions.

Despite rumours linking him with practically every club in the Premier League except the ones who have any chance of winning it, Real Madrid outcast Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to join Turkish outfit Galatasaray, where he would link up with his compatriot Frank Rijkaard. “Frank [Rijkaard] called me and asked ‘do you want to come to Turkey?’” explained Van Nistelrooy. “I have to think about it ­because Galatasaray is a great club with a positive ­approach.” The positive approach in question is believed to be a two-and-a-half-year deal worth £8m, not that we’re suggesting for a second that Ruud would be so vulgar as to make money his prime motivation as he mulls over his next move.

And finally, no Rumour Mill would be complete without the obligatory mention of disaffected Tottenham Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, who this morning is mostly being linked with a £10m move to Birmingham City.

Transfer windowLiverpoolSunderlandBarry Glendenningguardian.co.uk