Mascherano hoping for long-term deal

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The Argentina midfielder has been at Anfield since ending a brief stint at West Ham and although he is currently on a long-term loan deal from owners MSI, Rafael Benitez's desire to make that a permanent move looks set to be realised in the next few days.

"It's not finished yet but I am hoping to stay here," he told www.liverpoolfctv.co.uk.

As the Reds have already registered the player, there was no need to tie up the deal before the end of the January transfer window,

However, the 23-year-old, who claims his relationship with the Anfield crowd has been a major factor in his decision to stay on Merseyside, hopes the £18.6million transfer to go through shortly.

"I have a lot of confidence that after the next week I will be able to say `everything is right and I am staying here in Liverpool'," he added.

"We now need to wait. We are very close but we need to talk again. I think everything will be okay. I've waited a long time, so I can wait one week more.

"The fans like me and I love the fans. They are great and that's the reason I want to stay here."

Liverpool are believed to have verbally agreed a four-year contract with Mascherano, with the fee being paid to the player's owners in instalments.