It has emerged that the English FA are not pressing UEFA to allow Liverpool into the group stages of next season’s Champions League, and are only concerned with getting the Anfield club back into the competition as holders.

Informed sources at Soho Square are insisting that Liverpool can only expect to be involved at some stage of the qualifying rounds, if UEFA agree to the move.

Having finished fifth in the Barclays Premiership, Rafael Benitez’s squad are facing life in the UEFA Cup unless Europe’s powerbrokers come up with a solution to the problem of the Champions League holders not being able to defend their crown.

Now UEFA chief Lennart Johansson has made it clear he favours Liverpool starting the competition from scratch rather than being given the other option available of a wild card into the group stages as number one seed.

That seems highly unlikely to be the outcome of discussions between UEFA executive committee members this week, who are expected to come up with a solution to the problem which has dominated European football since Liverpool’s final victory in Istanbul last month against AC Milan.

Johansson says: “In my opinion Liverpool should be in from the very beginning - they will have to go through all the competition.”

If that is the final decision then Liverpool could find themselves in a first qualifying round tie which would fall in early July when they are supposedly in their Swiss pre-season training camp.

If UEFA accept this advice from their president, Liverpool’s pre-season will be thrown into chaos.

If they are asked to start out in the second qualifying round, they will find themselves in Japan for the first leg on July 27 playing two friendlies, one that night against Shimizu S Pulse and then another three days later against Kashima Antlers.

Liverpool are due back in the UK on July 31 from a tour they are already financially committed to.

If UEFA tell Liverpool to start in the third qualifying round, the second leg of that stage will clash with the week of the European Super Cup Final against CSKA Moscow in Monaco on August 26, an event UEFA have already confirmed that Liverpool are scheduled to play in.

If Liverpool are forced into this stage of the Champions League, they will face a second leg on either Tuesday or Wednesday of that week with the Super Cup on the Friday.

The whole problem has become a minefield for UEFA and now threatens to ruin Liverpool’s lucrative pre-season tour as well as boss Benitez’s build-up to the new season with the Anfield men due back for pre-season training a week earlier that usual on June 27.

Johansson has confirmed today, in a BBC Radio 4 ’Today’ interview, that he will be holding discussions this week to reach a conclusion.

He said: “We will look at which alternatives are available. One decision is about what will happen in the future but the main decision is what will happen to Liverpool. I trust it will be a decision which will be accepted by all parties.

“We have the ambition on the one hand to give Liverpool the opportunity to defend their title but on the other hand we need to make sure no-one suffers from such a decision.

Liverpool’s Mersey rivals Everton, who beat them to the fourth qualification spot, have already said they would object to a solution which would mean them having to take a smaller share of the prize money.

Officials in Turkey have also expressed dissatisfaction that Liverpool may be entered into the group stages with a high seeding therefore demoting their champions, Fenerbahce, to the qualifying round.

The 75-year-old Swede continued: “I want people to know they are free to have their own opinion.

“I want them to have the background I have studied it would be wrong of me to say they are in favour (of Liverpool playing in the Champions League).”

Johansson admitted: We have a situation which was unforeseen. Consequently we have to make a decision about the future and then deal with Liverpool.

“But I think the champions as in all other sports have the chance to defend their title.”

But whatever the fixture problems, the main cause for Liverpl is to be allowed back into the tournament as holders.

And they have an ally in former boss Kenny Dalglish, who said today: “If there’s a will there’s a way.

“UEFA have got themselves in bit of a mess but it looks encouraging that they’ve brought the decision forward.

“Real Madrid won the Champions League a few years back but failed to qualify for the next seasons competition and the Spanish FA stepped in and elected to put them in ahead of Real Zaragoza.

“But I don’t think the FA could have done that with Liverpool, that would have been unfair.

“It would be a great boost for Liverpool as a city if Everton and Liverpool can qualify so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”