LFC rumour mill: Crouch return?, Juve swop bid, Reds eye Pancev, Atleti track duo, Liverpool to face legal row

Juventus will include De Ceglie in bid for Liverpool's Dossena

Juventus hope to land Liverpool fullback Andrea Dossena in a cash-plus-player swap.

Dossena has already gone public with his hopes of joining Juve this summer after failing to settle on Merseyside.

Juve chiefs Alessio Secco and Jean-Claude Blanc are preparing a bid of £4 million cash plus left-back Paolo de Ceglie in exchange for Dossena.

Likelihood rating: ***

Liverpool favourites to sign Macedonian international

Weekend reports that Macedonian international Goran Pandev is a close target for Liverpool. The Lazio forward could be available if the price is right.

Pandev played in yesterdays World Cup qualifier for Macedonia against Norway, but never managed to outplay the solid Norwegian defence with Fulham defender Brede Hangeland in charge.

Pandev and his Macedonia is still in reach of the 2nd place in the group, which could see the former Yugoslavian province in next years World Cup finals.

Likelihood rating: **

Atletico Madrid Ask Liverpool About Benayoun And Arbeloa - Report

Atletico Madrid are seeking to bolster their squad for next season's campaign by recruiting two of Liverpool's stars.

Having qualified for the Champions League, Atleti are keen to strengthen their squad, and they have turned their attention to Liverpool, a club with whom they share good relations, following the sale of Fernando Torres.

According to AS, Atleti are keen to snap up Yossi Benayoun and Alvaro Arbeloa. Benayoun already has extensive experience of Spanish football, having spent three seasons at Racing Santander.

Arbeloa, of course, has also played in Spain before, although he has only made 22 appearances in the top flight, 20 of those with Deportivo. He is yet to renew his contract, which expires in 2010, so Liverpool may be tempted to sell, rather than seeing him leave for free next summer.

Benayoun, meanwhile, has recently stated his desire to remain at Anfield, despite earlier in the season expressing reservations over a lack of playing time.

If the deal does go through, it could raise the intriguing possibility of the pair playing against Liverpool in the Champions League.

Likelihood rating: Arbeloa ***
Benayoun **

Liverpool facing legal issues over backroom clearout

Liverpool are facing a legal row over a clearout of backroom staff, it has been revealed.

Weekend reports say the Reds are facing a legal backlash after dismissing an incredible SIXTEEN backroom staff as part of the increasingly bloody Anfield Rafalution.

The club sacked 10 Academy staff last week and another six long-serving employees left in the last few days.

Distressed former employees with well over 150 years service between them argue they've been given no valid reason for the termination of contracts and are unhappy with the club's first offers for pay-off packages.

Liverpool are now braced for a series of courtroom challenges to the decision, with most of those sacked preparing unfair dismissal claims.

A Kop source said: "You've heard of the night of the long knives. This is more like two weeks of it and it may not be finished yet.

"Rafa wants a clean sweep, but some of the staff won't go quietly and are taking legal advice. Some of them don't even feel they've been told why they're going."

The first round of departures included reserve coach Gary Ablett, Academy director Piet Hamberg and youth coaches Dave Shannon and Hugh McAuley.

Shannon will have a strong claim against the club having been cited in the recent autobiographies of Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher as a major influence on their careers through the youth ranks.

In recent days the departure of six Melwood staff has been confirmed, including physio Victor Salinas, the club's players' liaison officer who has been at Liverpool for 14 years, and even the kit man.

Likelihood rating: ****