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Mid-Day Ticker: Liverpool close in on Rodgers, Balotelli warns racists & more

RodgersDalglish (Getty Images)

It would appear that Brendan Rodgers is Liverpool's man after all. 

According to reports out of England, the young Swansea City coach will become Kenny Dalglish's replacement in the Liverpool coaches box less than two weeks after reportedly turning down an interview request from the club.

Rodgers, 39, guided Swansea City to promotion in 2010-11 and kept the club in the top flight this past season with an 11th-place finish. The BBC is reporting that Rodgers, who was a part of Jose Mourinho's coaching tree at Chelsea, will sign a three-year deal with Liverpool, and he will be confirmed by the club as its new manager within the next day.

Here are a few more stories to help get you to USA-Brazil:

BALOTELLI THREATENS RACISTS

Mario Balotelli has been the victim of on-field racism before, and with worries of potential incidents ahead of Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland, the mercurial Manchester City striker has some pointed words for any fans with wild ideas ahead of next month's tournament.

"I will not accept racism at all," Balotelli said. "It's unacceptable. If someone throws a banana at me in the street, I will go to jail, because I will kill them."

Balotelli was most recently racially abused during a Europa League match against Porto, where the Portugal side's fans actions caused the club to be fined.

KLJESTAN GETS NEW COACH

American midfielder Sacha Kljestan is coming off the best season of his career at Anderlecht, but he'll have to impress a new coach during the preseason to reaffirm his place in the Belgian champions' lineup. 

Ariel Jacobs has stepped down and made way for John van den Brom, who is coming to Anderlecht from Dutch side Vitesse. Van den Brom inherits a team that will participate in the UEFA Champions League after winning its 31st domestic championship.

LAMPARD HURT AT TRAINING

England midfielder Frank Lampard hurt his thigh at training on Wednesday, putting his availability for the European championship in question.

Lampard will undergo tests on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury after pulling up lame in practice as England prepares for a tune-up friendly against Belgium — and one of Lampard's soon-to-be-teammates Eden Hazard — on Saturday.

SCHOLES SIGNS NEW DEAL

Paul Scholes' return from retirement was not a few-month rental after all.

The veteran Manchester United midfielder put pen to paper on a one-year deal to extend his time on the field with the Red Devils through next summer. Scholes came out of retirement in January with an injury crisis hitting United hard in the midfield, and he resumed his high level of play, finishing in third in the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year voting.

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What do you think of the potential hire for Liverpool? Do you hope everyone heeds Balotelli's warning, for his sake? Think the new hire at Anderlecht will have any impact on Kljestan? Can England succeed without Lampard? Think Scholes has a good year left in him?

Share your thoughts below. 

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