Be realistic!! Just look at Gerrad's attutide and body language. He will not leave Liverpool!!! No shame for other clubs wanting to sign him. And Liverpool will won the championship in the near future!!! Give Benitez time like Man U gave Fergie!! No matter what other clubs faithfulls have to say, the time will tell !!

Jeantha, Gordons' Bay, RSA

You do wonder when journalism stopped. Did the reporter even consider the timing of this piece so did he just submit the report verbatim from Chelsea's PR dept.

Steve, london, England

As a Chelsea fan (there don't seem to be many here) I want to say that I would much rather see Grant leaving than ten Steven Gerards arriving. We have played awful football this season and are fast becoming a shadow of the team that Jose Mourinho had built. Grant trying to cover up his talentlessness as a manager by buying up obvious 'bound-to-be-good' players like Gerard will see Chelsea fail in increasingly spectacular fashion until we are the most hated and most justifiably mocked team in Europe. I expect Liverpool to beat us in this semi-final. Properly this time - not through non-goals and penalty shoot-outs.

Gabriel Casey, Belfast,

James from london... You state Benetiz is only with liverpool because he gets lucky in Europe.
2 Champion league finals in 3 years, and Liverpool are now looking for the fourth champ league final....... lucky?, i think not.
Manchester United Lucky?, indeed. No one ever seems to spot that Manu have have won the Prem League for the past 10 years by scoring last minurte goals... Like yesterday, aganist Blackburn.

vish, beds,

Gerrard will never leave liverpool. He will fail if he leave. Next year there will be a great chance for liverpool to win the premier league after the arrival of the increddible torres

G karmi, lierpool,

I don't think Gerrard will sign up for Chelsea because they are pathetic. They want him so bad and you cannot buy someone just because their team is in trouble. How can they even offer to buy him when he is at his weakest? I believe that Gerrard has the morals and more dignity to even put up with this nonsense.

Donna, Craigavon, Northern Irelan

"He changed his mind only after his family received death threats and a fan burned his replica shirt live on Sky TV."

Nonsense. He changed his mind because he realised there was only one team in the world he wanted to play for. Whether that's still the case, we'll see. As for joining Chelsea, no chance - Gerrard has too much common sense for that.

David, Arcachon, France

to dave jameson ,

Ha chelsea wil have won at least ten titles, of couse they will and even after that they will be what? six titles behind liverpool. If tib pot chelsea wanted to be talked of in the same breath as liverpool they need to win the league every year until two thousand and twenty one.

Then there is the small matter of the five european clubs.

It pains me to say it but i can handle it when man u fans come on here crowing because they are a proper club but chelsea, your no bigger than west ham or fulham.

Matt G, gillingham, UK

ha ha, semi final coming up is it london media??? sure inter wanted to sign him before that match aswell.....what on earth would he want to go there for...atmosphere?win trophys?money? think hes pretty much got that boxed off...next

j foster, Liverpool, Merseyside

Wenger to make the only change from his normal transfer policy of buying cheap, young european talent. If Gerrad becomes available he'd rather go Arsenal then Chelsea. Arsenal have shown they can challenge for the league and he admires their style of football.

Gerrard and one quality Defender would be about ££30-45million. Easily within budget and almost the dream scenario.

You heard it here first.

Lawrence, London,

Gerrard4 Chelsea!! Don't make me laugh. For starters, Chelsea COULDN'T afford him (if he was worth £32 million in 2005, i dread to think what he is worth now! £50 million plus??!!)
Secondly, he has stated that his HEART is with Liverpool and I guess that says it all. He will NEVER leave, so my advice to Avram Grant is this: FORGRT IT!

SI GREENWOOD, yeovil, uk

As a die-hard Liverpool fan I would hate to see Steven Gerrard leave.He has been inspirational and given his heart and soul to the club. However,if he chooses to move on, for whatever reason, who are we to stand in his way. He does not owe Liverpool anything and hard though it would be to see him go, I would hope the fans on the Kop would be big enough to wish him luck. (But please, not Chelsea!)

Jenny, Mosgiel, New Zealand

Why should Stevie move to Chelsea, his been a Liverpool fan and player ever since, and his great partners with Fernando. No way Chelsea your never going to get Stevie.

Susan, Adelaide, Australia

A naughty attempt by the media (disapointed that it is the Times ) to stoke up some grudge for the coming match. Of course if there are crowd problems they will take no responsibility at all and take a giant step backwards.As for some of the above comments I thought Chelsea were supposed classless!

Neil, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Who else will Chelsea sign to entice Stevie G how about the following Ronhaldo and Etoo of Barcelona and Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United given all the big stars are leaving Chelsea then the previous is a good starting point, perhaps Michael Owen and Kaka as well, well if you have an unlimited cheque why not, but who else on the team sheet will you need to temp Stevie G to Chelsea, to back him up in further back defense, or of the pitch aiding and abetting?

Happy hunting Chelsea

Peter – Level 1 Power Program Certified

Soon to be C.S.N.A. after my name when Liverpool “Moores” University completes the medical side of the C.S.N.A on me in just over a weeks time.

peter, wigan, England

LOL, Avram will you really be around to spear the deal for Gerrard ? Doubt Stevie would be comfortable in the Chelsea set up.

Jilesh, Esher, Surrey

Its all sick ,bitter, and twisted, because football has become about money not about sport. The game will implode just like the housing market has and its long overdue.

Steve Chapman, Liverpool, UK

Why would Gerrard even consider going to a club where all their star players seem to want to leave?

Scott, Bangkok, Thailand

There are only 2 big clubs in England, Manchester United and Liverpool. They are the most successful and properous clubs and will continue to be for many years. None of the rest come even close to their history, success and support.
Just because one is going through a bad spell at the moment does not strip them of their status. Look at Man United 20 years ago, I am sure it was miserable to be a supporter and yet people still did it and did not give up hope. Maybe Liverpool's time is over for the moment, at least until things at the top settle down but if a competent owner does finally rear his ugly head. If that does happen, as I am sure it eventually will then those people who do wish ill on successful clubs will just have to stop sneering and go back to simply being jealous.

Lucas, Liverpool, UK

Gerrard will go to Chelsea, Barry to Liverpool.

Rick, Ohio, US

Look at all these plastic scousers commenting. How many of you are actually from Liverpool then?

I couldn't care a carrot about all the greed and avarice of the so called "big 4". It's a shame this is called news when so many lower league clubs have their backs to the wall.

Paul, Torquay, Devon

Gareth Barry stays at Aston Villa, Gerrard jumps ship at 'pool. I wouldn't be surprised if Randy Lerner starts opening his wallet this summer and plucks Stevie G from under Chelsea's noses. The club that gave the world league football is on the way back. Come to the original giants of English football Stevie G. Up the Villa!

Mick, Cork, Ireland

Joe Lovejoy? No relation to well known Chelsea fan Tim Lovejoy by any chance?

Paul, LIVERPOOL MERSEYSIDE, UK

Liverpool fans you aren't going to win the title. Benitez has led Liverpool backwards since Houllier who by the way led Liverpool to 2 in the league while Benitez is consistantly struggling for fourth even once losing it to Everton
The only reson he is there is because he gets lucky in Europe.
Gerrard has had enough of battling for fourth and for once wants to win the title so he will leave especially what is happening to the yanks

James s, London,

This is about as likely as Avram Grant's chelsea starting to play total footbally.

Forget it chelsea fans and don't forgot your plastic flags for tuesday...plastic flags, plastic club...

tommyt, liverpool,

Cheers Chelski, there's nothing quite like a wound up Gerrard going into a Champions League semi-final. He will use the lame attempt at mind games to run rings around Fat Frank.

Chris, Swansea,

personally, i don't think that Gerrard will move next season now that he has got Torres alongside him; LFC's game drastically changed with his arrival, and who dares doubt that he is not feeling loads better now??? he is second top goal scorer for LFC!!!!!!!! anyways i don't think that death threats or burnt shirts really made him stay at liverpool. He has known this club eversince his birthing day and you can see by his commitment to it on the pitch! HE has been the one changing everything always. he maybe tired but i am persuaded he will at least spend another season at LFC. Who knows, maybe with Torres improving(1st year 30+goals, now with much more training, 90?? lol) Liverpool could finally really challenge man.utd and win the premiership... let ronaldo be hurt during an advert (or let him put his proud aside on the pitch, has his head deflated and spend more time doing adverts!)

Laurie, Mauritius,

It comes as no coincedence that sudden speculation over Gerrard's future at Anfield comes into the media's eye no more than 3 days before Liverpool's vclash with Chelsea in the Champions League.

This is obviously a tactic that the backroom at Chelsea has thought through and another example of the London club trying to win games off of the pitch.

For this I hope that they do beat Manchester United on Saturday and lose the championship on goal difference as it will serve them right for playing for boring 1-0 wins. Pah!

John Kennedy, Doha, Qatar

Only an incapacitated idiot would deny Liverpool's pedigree as a top club. The current problems will soon end as Hicks, faced with the current tight situation in the financial markets, will fail to get partners to buy out the controlling shares of the club. After the 90 day option runs out in May, DIC will move in, acquire Gillet's shares and then proceed to inject further capital that will dilute Hick's holdings and eventually he will be forced out by the sheer financial muscle of the Arabs. Then we will see the return of Liverpool at the top of the EPL and Captain Fantastic Gerrard will be the man leading the line. Bye-bye Chelski!!!!

R Hoarau, Vienna, Austria

FAO Paul Sussex

No club has the divine right to called a big club, this status is reserved for clubs who regularly win major honours.

Liverpool have won 6 major trophies in the past 8 seasons including reaching 2 champions League finals in the last 3, that gives us big club status.

It also shows what ridiulously high standards we have set historically when our rivals use that record to point out how bad we are!

As for chelseas era just starting, with the grinch as manager and many of your top stars set to leave I'd say your close to becoming another aston Villa or everton...Just another club who had a few good seasons once!

If Liverpool are Hamburgers then that would rank Chelsea as something close to a spam fritter!

Roger, Harrogate, England

Lets see now, what match is coming up in mid-week? Oh! It's the Liverpool versus Chelsea semi-final clash in the Champions league. This smells like a deliberate attempt to destabilise liverpool just before a vital match. Maybe Liverpool should counter by saying they want to buy Didier Drogba!

Stephen, St. Ives, England

"...Gerrard is known to be unhappy about Liverpool’s continued failure in the Premier League..."

I can't believe I've read this in Times Online. "Great" journalism.

"...is known to be..." is an amazing source of reliable information.

Vuk, Podgorica, Montenegro

These articles really make me laugh. But then I glance at the calender and realise it is almost the summer and that time of the year again to start writing about Gerrard leaving.

Read the WHOLE of Steven Gerrard's autobiography to get a complete picture of Gerrard's feelings towards Liverpool and not just an extract of Gerrard's "jealousy towards Chelsea" winning the title. Further read his detailed account of what happened when he almost joined Chelsea 2 years ago and why he turned them down, including his comments that he will NEVER let this happen again and that he WILL finish his playing career at Liverpool.

If The Times wants a free copy of his autobiography, contact me and I will send them one.

There is no way that Gerrard will leave his heart and soul that is Liverpool.

Grant is NOT respected nor admired by many football pundits including the whole of the Chelsea dressing room and backroom staff who believe his appointment was and is a disaster for the club.

Arif, Leicester, UK

Unlike Rooney, Steve is loyal to his roots and the millions worldwide who follow the man's gifted talent and that only has one place - LIVERPOOL. If the press wanted to be serious about transfers for him then even Everton would be more likely.

Colin Brown, Perth , Australai

even if Gerrard does go to Chelsea - and I don't think he will - who's to say he'll win the Premiership with Chelsea? Fearfing they are going to lose out of the Champions League, this is just Chelsea trying unsettle Liverpool!

Dave Mac, Faversham, England

I hope he does move on, then LFC may realise finally that their reign is over! What divine right do they have to be called a big club? Historically maybe but thats it.

Chelsea are here to stay as a force and are currently starting their dynasty so in my eyes:

"Lets face it compare the two clubs, you would swap steak (chelsea) for hamburgers (liverpool)."

Mind you Gerrard will probably go abroad, i mean if you are going to be surrounded by Spaniards you may as well have the weather!

paul, sussex, england

i have 2 say i feel sorry for gerrard....of course his heart lies in liverpool but if he wants to win the premiership he will have to leave them because lets face it, liverpool are awful in the premiership. So it really depends how much he wants a premiership title...if he wants to win it more than anything else he will join a decent club, like chelsea or possibly Real Mardid (who are also interested). or he will just stay at liverpool, come 4th or 5th in the premiership each season and do well in a comnpetiton that hes already won (champions league). Its up to him.
And finally just a little word to matt g, by the time liverpool win their first title in however many years its been, Chelsea would have own at least 10.

Dave Jameson, guildford, surrey

Rot in hell chelsea

Brian, Dublin, Eire

Regardless of the timing of this comment by Grant, I think it is highly likely that Gerrard will leave Liverpool this summer. However, it will more than likely be to Barcelona, Madrid or one of the Milan teams.

Grant is not stupid and can see that Liverpool FC is becoming 'unworkable'. The mass exodus that is supposed to be taking place at Chelsea this year will in effect be at Liverpool.

Even if Liverpool win the Champions League, which 'Big Name Player' in their right mind would want to go to LFC at this moment in time amidst all the uncertainty at the club? Consequently, Gerrard will realise that unless two or three such players are not forthcoming, next years title race will be similar to this one. This fact, I believe, will promt Gerrard to move on.

Liverpool FC is on very thin ice at the moment and barring a major turnaround in the ownership power struggle in the next four to six weeks I am expecting at least two of the three(Gerrard, Torres and Benitez) to leave.

austin maddock, germany,

I can't believe that the papers are reporting this tripe. Why would anyone, let alone Gerrard, want to go to Chelsea? Isn't going to happen, simple as that. Gerrad will be at Liverpool next season and if he isn't then he certainly won't be playing for another Premiership club, let alone Chelsea. Lazy, lazy journalism.

Brian, London,

Calm down, eh. Calm down.

Tom, London, UK

Hahahaha !!!
Love the comment about 'moving to a top club' to be a legend of the game !!! What a load of rubbish !
He's won everything bar a Premier League title at Liverpool. And Rafa is edging closer and closer with every season.
He'll stay, there's no doubt.

Frederic, Mauritius,

Just a well timed attempt by Grant to unsettle Gerrard before the game next Tuesday

mark, LIVERPOOL, UK

Are Liverpool playing Chelsea next Tuesday by any chance? That is the reason this journalist came up with this rubbish story. Steven Gerrard said he will never leave Liverpool and that had he gone to play for any other team whatever he won would mean nothing to him as it wouldn't be in a Liverpool shirt.

Steven Gerrard says that he is unhappy that Liverpool aren't challenging for the Premiership, what do the journalists expect Stevie to say that he is happy with this situation?

No one is happy with the boardroom sheningans, but that is something that will sort itself out one way or the other by the end of the season and meanwhile Liverpool players are showing a great unity and finally, does anyone really think that Gerrard will leave when he has Torres the top striker playing alongside him.

Dream on Grant and just admire from afar.

Pauline Barbara, Marsascala, Malta

Whether or not Gerrard moves depends largely on whether or not he wants to win the Premier League in his career. He may have made comments about preferring to win one with Liverpool than 10 with Chelsea, but the fact is that he isn't going to win one with Liverpool.

His only chance of becoming a legend of the game rather than a legend of Liverpool is to move to a top club.

Kieran, Preston, UK

"He only changed his mind after his family received death threats and a fan burned his replica shirt live on Sky TV"

Thats absolute rubbish. Do you honestly believe that is the reason why he continues to play for Liverpool?

This story should have been left for the tabloids.

Mark, Reading, UK

thats the biggest load of tosh I have ever read
Gerrard to Chelsea
hahahah

tony, pontefract, west yorkshire

"if i won ten premierships at chelsea it would not mean as much as winning one at liverpool" ..........those were Steven Gerrard' words after the last saga finished. He has no intention of joining a tin pot club like chelsea. This article like all the others is true, chelsea do want to sign him but then so does every club in the world. simple fact is he has said he wants to stay at anfield for good. Lets face it compare the two clubs, you wouldnt swap steak for hamburgers.

Matt G, gillingham, UK