by the Daily Mail

Liverpool, despite the serious financial difficulties facing American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, are confident of quickly finding a big-money shirt sponsor to replace Carlsberg.

The lager brand are not expected to renew their 17-year association with the club when their £8million-a-year deal expires at the end of the season, especially with Liverpool looking to almost double the price to £15m a year and Carlsberg's exclusive negotiating period having finished.

London-based international banking giants Standard Chartered, who just lost out to insurance broker Aon for Manchester United's shirt deal, are already the leading candidates for the Liverpool kit.

The fact that they were competing strongly with Aon, who are paying £20m a year for the United sponsorship for four years from 2010-11, also suggests the bank would meet the steep Liverpool asking price, even in a recession.

A £15m annual contract with Standard Chartered, whose sponsorships include the Bangkok marathon, would put Liverpool level with Chelsea, who have recently extended their deal with Samsung at that rate until 2013.