Rafa Benitez tactical triumph over Liverpool’s American owners means he can now sign Seville star Jose Manuel Casado — and tempt AC Milan with a £6million bid for Kakha Kaladze.

It was George Gillett and Tom Hicks’ reluctance to sanction these moves which caused the angry stand-off that threatened Benitez’s Anfield future. But the Reds’ emphatic 4-0 victory at Marseille to make the Champions League last 16 has changed all that.

Seville insiders confirm there has been club-to-club contact for left-back Casado, 21, but they would prefer a loan move.

But 29-year-old centre-half Kaladze would be the big prize given his Champions League pedigree and international experience with Georgia.

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