Djibril Cisse sat in on talks yesterday between Liverpool and Olympique Marseille.

Marseille president Pape Diouf met with Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry to discuss a deal for Cisse and revealed last night: "His presence was necessary. Without interfering in the negotiations, he made it very clear that his desire was to continue his Marseille adventure."

He added: "The discussions were cordial, but also very constructive. The two clubs are showing a great effort to come together.

"We have a promise from Liverpool that they will respond in the next days."