Liverpool have renewed attempts to discuss their vacant managerial post with Swansea's Brendan Rodgers.
Owner John W Henry arrived on Merseyside on Tuesday to personally oversee the recruitment process. Having spoken to Wigan manager Roberto Martinez, Liverpool have gone back to Rodgers to discuss the position. Rodgers, 39, met Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins on Tuesday morning but the Welsh club insist the manager's future was not discussed. Martinez has yet to hear back from Liverpool, but Henry is understood to have been impressed with him when the pair met in Miami last week and was keen to speak to him a second time. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has given Liverpool until Thursday to decide whether they will offer the Spaniard a contract. Swans boss Rodgers is open to negotiations having been assured he is a genuine contender, though no deal has yet been agreed at this stage. Liverpool have, however, spoken with representatives of Rodgers, to impress on the Northern Irishman just how highly they rate him. Rodgers, who secured the £7m record signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson earlier this week, will not walk away from Swansea lightly. It is understood Swansea would be expecting £5m in compensation if Rodgers was to depart for Liverpool. His commitment to the club is genuine but having turned Liverpool down 10 days ago because he feared becoming involved in a race with multiple candidates, he is now understood to be taking Liverpool's interest more seriously. The Northern Irishman's meeting with Swansea on Tuesday comes after he returned from a trip to the United States, where he watched Wales lose 2-0 against Mexico in New Jersey on Sunday. A day earlier, Swansea said they had not received any further contact from Liverpool, who are looking for a new manager after sacking Kenny Dalglish at the end of the season.
"We would like to confirm that there has been no contact from Liverpool and nothing has changed since our previous statement on the issue," said Swansea in a statement on their official website on Monday. Rodgers signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Swansea in February. It is understood that one of the clauses in that deal was a guarantee the Swans would recieve a compensation payment of between £4m and £5m should Rodgers leave for another club. Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez held talks with Liverpool's American owners in Miami last Thursday - although the suggestion from his chairman Dave Whelan that he had been offered a deal at Anfield appears to have been premature. Whelan revealed that further discussions would be held on Tuesday as Liverpool continue to examine all of their options as they move to replace sacked Kenny Dalglish. The Wigan chairman admits he would be happier if Rodgers was installed at the expense of Martinez and criticised Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) for their handling of the recruitment process. "If it is true that Liverpool want to speak with Brendan Rodgers it proves they don't know who they want as manager," Whelan told ESPN. "I hope they choose Brendan Rodgers. "Roberto has told me he is speaking with Liverpool again on Tuesday. "I have now made it clear that I want this sorted out by Thursday at the latest as we have to get on preparing for next season." Former Ajax, Barcelona and Holland coach Louis van Gaal has emerged as a leading contender to fulfil a sporting director role at Liverpool as the club reshapes its management structure.
29 May 2012 Last updated at 19:58
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18235961
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