Mascherano move to Liverpool approved

London:

Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano's move to Liverpool was finally cleared on Tuesday by the Premier League. Liverpool agreed to sign Mascherano on loan from West Ham on the January 31 transfer deadline day, but the Premier League refused to sanction the deal until it had had the chance to investigate the player's registration details. "The Premier League is satisfied that the contractual arrangements proposed by Liverpool FC are consistent with its rules; particularly that the relationship between club and player is not subject to third-party influence," the league said in a statement. The transfer was approved by FIFA on January 31. Mascherano, 22, joined West Ham along with countryman Carlos Tevez at the start of the season. Their contracts are owned by British-based company Media Sports Investment, which is financially involved with Corinthians. Mascherano played only seven times for West Ham. In his last appearance, he played six minutes as a substitute in a 2-0 loss to Everton on December 3.