Benitez admits financial constraints in keeping top Liverpool stars

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has admitted for the first time that he may be powerless to keep his top stars if the club's financial woes aren't resolved.

There are growing fears Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard will become easy targets for Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid unless the Reds sort themselves out.

Benitez is determined to resist persistent interest in his key players and recently said he'd quit if Torres was ever sold without his agreement. But he knows that won't stop bids if the American owners can't bring stability to the club, News of the World reports.

"We would have a conversation and decide what's the best for the club. I've said before I want to keep the best players here because that means we can be closer to the top four. They are the most important. We gave extensions to players because we want to keep the squad together," said Benitez.

"If you ask any manager in the world they will tell you they want more money and want to spend but at this moment we have to do what's best for the club. That means managing the situation for each player and see what happens," he said.

The Liverpool hierarchy say their refusal to spend significantly this month is part of a curb on high-risk transfers. They insist Benitez is fully behind the decision to hold back funds until the summer when better players will be available.

The club has studied the transfer outlay under both Benitez and his predecessor Gerard Houllier and believe Liverpool have taken too many gambles on players.