Steve McManaman has already agreed a £12 million transfer to Barcelona, according to the club's vice-president Joan Gaspart. "Everything has been agreed with the player and with the club," said Gaspart. "If Louis Van Gaal (the Barcelona coach) wants him then he will come to Barcelona after the World Cup."

The comments are reported in this morning's El Mundo, one of Spain's leading national newspapers. According to the paper, Simon Fuller, McManaman's agent, visited Barcelona on December 17th to renegotiate a deal which had collapsed four months earlier.

On his latest visit Fuller is said to have reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona that McManaman would leave Liverpool to join the Catalan club after the World Cup if Liverpool would release him for £12 million, a sum they were previously prepared to accept.

According to Spanish reports the deal is back on because McManaman is now prepared to accept annual wages of £1.75 million. The deal faltered in August when Barcelona rejected his previous demands for £2 million a year.

Liverpool refused to comment on the El Mundo story last night.