Gerrard confirms contract talks

England midfielder Steven Gerrard has confirmed he is in talks about signing a new contract at Liverpool.

Gerrard told the club's website that the process is running smoothly, particularly after new co-owner Tom Hicks said in the aftermath of Tuesday's semi-final win over Chelsea: "I cannot see Steven Gerrard playing for another club."

The 26-year-old said: "Tom Hicks has said he cannot see me playing for another club, and yes, I'm in talks to extend my contract at Liverpool and I've never been happier with my football."

He added: "I'd love nothing better than to get this contract sorted and signed, so I can understand where he's coming from. We need to keep all of our big players here so it's very important we get the contracts sorted out so they can be here for a long time."

And Gerrard has also revealed that he is surprised that AC Milan will be Liverpool's final opponents in Greece. He said: "I'm confident we can go to Athens and bring the cup back home.

"But Milan are a fantastic team and we know it's going to be really difficult, so we need to be right at the top of our game.

"I was really surprised actually that they won their semi-final because I had confidence that Manchester United would get the result they required.

"I thought it was going to be a Liverpool-Manchester United final, but credit to Milan because they were excellent on the night and deserved to win the game."