Rafael Benitez has reacted angrily to reports Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry was party to discussions with the club's owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett concerning his future at Anfield.

The Liverpool manager rushed from his side's 3-1 defeat of Blackburn on Sunday to exchange e-mails with Hicks and Gillett, after suggestions Parry attended a meeting with Jurgen Klinsmann in the US.

"I am surprised at things I have read," Benitez said. "I need some clarifications about a meeting that took place involving a lot of people that I did not know about.

"I need to ask questions and I want some answers. I want to clarify things. I am really calm, but I want answers."

Former Germany coach Klinsmann was being lined up as a possible replacement for Benitez at the time, with his relationship with the owners at an all-time low.

Benitez now believes those meetings took place in the full knowledge of Parry, who, he claims, did not inform him of his involvement.

"What concerned me was the people who were in the meeting, that was a surprise," he said.

Benitez insisted that he would be discussing the situation with his agent, aware that Valencia, Internazionale, Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested in his services.

The Liverpool manager, who has guided his side to the semi-finals of the Champions League, is adamant the speculation will have no bearing on their Premier League or European ambitions.

"We [the coaching staff and the players] are professionals and we know we must be focused on football, and we will try to do this," he said.

"It is not affecting the players. They are winning and they know we must finish in the top four and progress in the Champions League. We must stay focused on football."

TeamTalk / Eurosport