Rafael Benitez has reiterated that Steven Gerrard will remain at Anfield for the foreseeable future despite renewed suggestions that the England midfielder will swap Liverpool for the Premiership leaders Chelsea this summer.

"Let me be very clear about Gerrard: we are building a strong team here in the future and that will be a team with Gerrard," Benitez is reported to have said after Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League quarter-final win over Juventus.

"He is a local boy, a man of the club and he's our captain. We are not selling him."

Gerrard was on the verge of formally seeking a move to Chelsea last summer, but reconsidered after Benitez's appointment.

However, with the 24-year-old making it clear his personal ambitions will not be satisfied unless he is winning honours, the London club are expected to table a bid for him this summer.

Both Chelsea and Liverpool distanced themselves last night from renewed speculation that Gerrard had already agreed to the transfer. They insisted that no discussions had taken place.

Benitez yesterday downplayed claims by Juan Soler, the recently appointed president of Valencia, that the Spanish club had opened talks with Milan Baros over a possible transfer in the summer. Soler told a Spanish radio station that he was "negotiating" with the Czech striker, despite Baros having two years to run on his current contract at Anfield.

"He's a new president and maybe he doesn't know the rules," said Benitez. "It would be illegal for them to talk to a player with that much time still on his contract."

The mayor of Turin has pleaded with Juventus fans to put aside their differences with Liverpool supporters as the city prepares to host the second leg of the clubs' Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday. "I am making an appeal to the good sense of the fans so that Juventus versus Liverpool will be a festival of sport and not an occasion for clashes or, even worse, a vendetta," said Sergio Chiamparino.

Alex Ferguson is expected to give Ruud van Nistelrooy another chance to rediscover his goal-scoring form against Norwich City at Carrow Road tonight. Van Nistelrooy, without a goal in seven games since returning from a three-month calf injury lay-off at the end of February, is likely to face the Premiership's most porous defence following a ringing endorsement from Ferguson, who admits that the forward is paying the price for returning to action before being fully fit. Ferguson said: "Ruud will be all right. We need to keep him going now, but strikers are only happy when they are scoring goals."