Barcelona  have been alerted to midfielder Javier Mascherano giving the strongest indication yet his future lies away from Liverpool FC.

The Argentina captain admits life in the city has left him longing to be back amongst his countrymen and that his family find being cut off difficult.

Mascherano has also revealed he was keen to leave Anfield for Catalan giants Barca in the summer but with manager Rafa Benitez refusing to sell him, the situation impacted on his early season form.

Now trying to focus on World Cup preparations with his national side, Mascherano has candidly opened up about his desire to leave the Premier League behind for life in La Liga with the Spaniards believed to be huge admirers.

Mascherano said: “The situation with Barcelona really affected me. It was a shame it didn’t happen as it was the city I wanted to live in.

Anfield legend Robbie Fowler says the time may be right for Liverpool FC boss Rafa Benitez to leave the club.

The future of Benitez has been the subject of much speculation in recent months following a below-par campaign that saw Liverpool FC finish seventh in the Barclays Premier League and miss out on a Champions League place.

With owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks also now searching for a new buyer there is much uncertainty surrounding the club and Fowler - who was brought back to Anfield by Benitez four years ago - thinks the time may be right for him to move on.

"With Rafa, what you see is what you get. I think he’s quite shrewd and keeps everything to himself," Fowler said.

"I was always grateful to him for bringing me back, so I always have a bit of a soft spot for him, but at the end of the day it’s a big club and no one is bigger than the club.