Rafa Benitez's position at Liverpool looks to be under threat, according to press reports.

Most of the morning papers claim that Benitez is on borrowed time after a further breakdown in his relationship with the club's owners over the weekend.

The Times suggests that owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet have lost faith in Benitez, and his sacking is a case of 'when' rather than 'if':

'In the best-case scenario, he may yet see out the remainder of the season before being sacked or leaving by mutual consent, but the word from within the club is that the American tycoons have lost all trust in him after recent challenges to their authority and that, despite his popularity with supporters, his dismissal is only a matter of time.'

Benitez has been unhappy about the perceived lack of a transfer activity at Anfield as he chases targets in the January transfer window.

The Liverpool boss has complained that Hicks and Gillet 'do not understand' the transfer system in Europe.

He said after Saturday's 3-0 win over Newcastle: "They need to understand how difficult it is to sign players.

"I was trying to explain, now we try to keep focus and win games. If they understand what the market means they will understand we are trying to do the best for the club."

The Guardian claims that Benitez could be on his way before Hicks and Gillet arrive in England for a meeting in the middle of December:

'The relationship has deteriorated with astonishing speed in the past week and Benítez's future may well be decided before he meets Gillett and Hicks in 20 days' time. Their fate in the Champions League will be decided by December 11 - they play in Marseille on that date and entertain Porto on Wednesday in must-win fixtures - and the Americans will not release substantial funds if they are out.'

Last week Hicks told Benitez to 'quit talking' and coach the players he has, which prompted the Liverpool manager to repeatedly say "as always I am focused on training and coaching my team" at a press conference on Thursday.

Hicks and Gillet issued a statement on Sunday night in which they reiterated their stance that they will discuss transfer targets with Benitez when they visit England:

"Despite speculation in today's newspapers, there is nothing new to say.

"We had a good win yesterday and have got some very important games coming up starting with Porto on Wednesday, followed by Bolton and Reading, before Marseille and Manchester United in a few weeks.

"Both of us, together with chief executive Rick Parry, plan to meet with Rafa when we come over mid December to make decisions on the team's requirements at that time."

Sporting Life / Eurosport