Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton has ruled out the possibility of his club being forced to sell either Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres this summer.

England midfielder Gerrard and Spain striker Torres have both been linked with big-money moves away from Anfield, but Broughton insists that sales of star players are not on the cards.

He told the club's official website:"There is absolutely no reason to sell either Torres or Gerrard.

"I don't want to sell either of them. Rafa Benitez does not want to sell either of them, the club is not looking to sell them. We don't need to do it to pay off any debt.

"Torres is one of the great players and every club would love to have him. We have got him and there is no intention of selling him."

Of his recent talks with Benitez over plans for next season, Broughton added:"The squad does need strengthening and that is an on-going process which will not be stopped by the sale (of the club).

"We have sat down with Rafa to determine what is the strength of the squad, what it needs, who are the right players and who needs to be sold.

"What I have asked for from Rafa is an appraisal of each of the players, where the weak links are, which players he would prefer to sell if he had the opportunity, which positions he needs to fill, who are his prime candidates and what would be his priorities."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email