Football - Liverpool FC: RAFAEL BENITEZ will belatedly meet new chairman Martin Broughton this week – as Liverpool face an early start to next season.

Benitez is finally due to hold showdown talks with Broughton in the next few days during which he will seek assurances over the future direction of the club.

It emerged yesterday the manager has twice cancelled a planned summit during the past fortnight due to his commitments with the first team.

Benitez’s position at Anfield has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks given his ongoing frustration at the financial restraints at the club that has encouraged interest from Juventus.

The Serie A side are keen to recruit the Spaniard as replacement for outgoing coach Alberto Zaccheroni but want a decision inside the next week.

But while Benitez’s agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, has confirmed his client’s imminent talks with Broughton, he believes the manager would ideally prefer to stay at Liverpool.

“He (Benitez) has a meeting with the chairman this week, and from what I can see Rafael Benitez wants to continue at Liverpool,” said Quilon.

“Benitez needs to know what the plans are for the future, for the investment into players at the club. That is going to be important.”

One report claimed last week Quilon has already agreed a four-year deal for Benitez with new Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli.

But the agent said: “I have not made any agreement with Juventus. Benitez has four years left of his contract.”

Quilon’s denial of any deal has not prevented Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from praising Benitez’s qualities.

“Rafa’s CV is really good,” said Buffon. “Tactically he is a very good manager but he has also showed he can deal with problems off the pitch.

“Benitez is a great professional that every team would like to have.”

Whoever is in charge at Liverpool this summer is facing an early start to next season unless Aston Villa are overhauled this weekend.

With the final round of Premier League games to come on Sunday, the Anfield outfit stand two points adrift of the Midlanders in seventh place.

Having already been assured Europa League qualification by Everton’s failure to beat Stoke City last Saturday, Liverpool saw their outside hopes of a Champions League berth ended by defeat against Chelsea the following day.

And unless they win at Hull City and Villa fail to beat Blackburn Rovers at home, Benitez’s side will take the fourth Europa League place available to English clubs.

It would mean Liverpool entering the competition at the third qualifying round, with ties to be played on July 29 and August 5 ahead of the start of the Premier League campaign on August 14.

The first leg comes just 18 days after the World Cup finishes in South Africa – with the likes of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard hopeful of appearing in the final.

Fulham, who finished seventh last year, began their Europa League campaign at the same stage this season and have played 18 games to reach next week’s final against Atletico Madrid.

It is actually possible two more English clubs could be in the Europa League next season, Fulham going through as holders if they win the trophy and England are on course for another berth through the Fair Play table which would almost certainly go to relegated Burnley.