The Times reports that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez yesterday reached an agreement with the club's co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, over a new contract.
According to the London-based newspaper, the deal will run for four-and-a-half years. It is as yet unknown whether the Spanish tactician will receive a raise on his current €4 million-per-year wage.
The news will no doubt be welcome by the vast majority of the Liverpool's fanbase, as lingering uncertainty over Benitez's future had been threatening to hijack the club's excellent start to the season.
The Reds are currently perched atop the Premier League table and, following last night's win over PSV Eindhoven, have progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League as winners of Group D.
Yet the constant setbacks and stalls in negotiations between Benitez and his American bosses have brought back memories of the disturbances which led to and followed last term's Jurgen Klinsmann affair.
The widespread reports of Juventus' growing interest in the former Valencia coach may well have spurred Hicks and Gillett into action, as this agreement comes only days after the latest link to Turin.