LIVERPOOL - LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez said on Friday he planned to keep his mind on football from now on and let his agent deal with all the speculation concerning a new contract.

Benitez last week revealed that he had been rewarded for Liverpool's bright start to the Premier League campaign with a move by the club to extend his contract beyond 2010.

While confirming that preliminary talks over a new deal have started the Spaniard was at pains to insist that no details had been discussed and he added that from now on his advisors would be handling negotiations while he concentrated on Liverpool's title bid.

Benitez was talking amid speculation that certain gagging conditions had been suggested to stop him discussing the club's owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

There were also claims that the American owners were annoyed with Benitez for openly discussing the prospects of a new contract last week.

The club have dismissed that suggestion as 'nonsense' and underlined that the news of imminent talks was first revealed on their own club website last Friday.

That announcement, including comments from the owners on Benitez's qualities, came well before the Anfield boss had talked about a new deal at a media conference later that day.

Benitez said on Friday: 'I want to clarify the situation over my new contract.

My advisor has had contact with the club's owners, and they will have a meeting in the future, hopefully next week.

'But I want to make it clear that no details were discussed. Not the length of the contract, nor money or any conditions.

'None of those things were discussed. There has been contact and now things will start progressing.

'And in the future my agent will be talking about this with the club and I will concentrate on football, because I do not want to be talking about things every week that can distract the players.

'They will talk next week and hopefully there will be progress, but I do not want to be involved in those talks.' -- AFP