Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool coach, has set a collision course with Sir Alex Ferguson after confirming the club's lawyers are working on ways to sign Gabriel Heinze from Manchester United.

Last week Ferguson said Heinze could not move to Anfield under any circumstances, after the club turned down a £6 million offer from Benitez - despite it meeting their valuation of the 29-year-old Argentina international. "I can assure you Liverpool will not be getting Gabriel Heinze," Ferguson said.

Benitez rates the defender too highly to be easily perturbed, however, and has refused to accept the situation. "Now the lawyers are working on it so we need to wait," he said. "He's a player we like, he's a very good player. Too bad they don't want him to leave and go with us."

Heinze is believed to have a letter signed by David Gill, the United chief executive, confirming he would be free to leave if the club received an offer in excess of £6m - but the intense rivalry between the two North West clubs may have caused Ferguson to intervene.

Meanwhile, Benitez has imposed a nightclub ban to his players on their pre-season trip to Hong Kong. Liverpool will compete in the South Asia Trophy this week, alongside Portsmouth, Fulham and South China, and Benitez is keen to avoid any distraction to their continuing preparations for the new campaign.

"We are a serious team," he said. "We want to prepare for the games properly. We were training this morning and we want to be ready for the matches. We take every game seriously. After the final we will go and have a dinner and everything. This town is fantastic but really we are here to win."