Rick Parry’s future as Liverpool chief executive was plunged into doubt last night after it emerged that his Manchester City counterpart has been approached about taking over the role at Anfield. Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, has made no secret of his desire to remove Parry from office and has asked Alistair Mackintosh if he would consider joining the club.

So long as Parry retains the support of George Gillett Jr, Hicks’s partner, the Texan’s pursuit of Mackintosh appears doomed to failure, but that he is actively seeking a replacement could reignite the war of words at Anfield. Hicks branded Parry as "arrogant” with “an inability to manage an organisation” in April and demanded his resignation in a three-page letter, but Gillett refused to back his co-owner’s request for Parry to step down.

A move to Liverpool would appeal to Mackintosh, who is thought to have become unsettled since Thaksin Shinawatra’s takeover of City last summer. Mackintosh was thought to be keen to retain the services of Sven- Göran Eriksson, who was sacked as City manager on Monday, and his position appears to have been further undermined with the appointment of Garry Cook as the club’s executive chairman.