Bridge to fight for place

ESPNsoccernet has been told that Wayne Bridge has been assured his future remains at Eastlands despite the imminent arrival of left-back Aleksandr Kolarov and rumoured interest from Liverpool.

City will spend £17 million on Serbian defender Kolarov and the deal has led to speculation linking the 29-year-old Bridge with a move to Liverpool, as new boss Roy Hodgson is on the lookout for a new left back after the departures of Emiliano Insua and Fabio Aurelio.

However, Bridge, who declined to be included in England's World Cup squad because of a well-publicised fall-out with John Terry, naturally has sought clarification about his future with Manchester City and has been told he will not be sold.

''Wayne Bridge has been told by Manchester City that he is not for sale, that the manager wants two players for every position,'' a source told Soccernet. "That's fine by Wayne who is very happy at Manchester City with three years left on his current contract, having been there for one-and-a-half years already.''

Liverpool are still likely to push to sign the experienced defender, who may ultimately grow tired of finding himself in a similar position to the one that drove him out of Chelsea, and the source maintained that a move could yet happen.

''We all know in football that the situation can change,'' he said. ''If Liverpool are serious, and get some money in by selling one of their big stars, they could make an offer for Wayne, and who knows then if the situation changes."

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.