Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina believes it is "vital" the club's American owners sell the club as soon as possible.

Tom Hicks and George Gillett officially put the Reds up for sale last month and chairman Martin Broughton said he expected a deal to be done in a matter of months.

After a disappointing season which saw Liverpool finish seventh in the Premier League and miss out on Champions League football, though, Reina believes things must move quicker than that.

"It is vital," he was quoted as saying in The Guardian. "It would be simple as it would mean we could start planning for next season earlier.

"All that I ask is that if it is going to happen, then it happens as soon as possible to help the club.

"We [the players] worry. It is a little bit of a concern and we need to sort out these kind of things, like the sale of the club and the thing with the owners.

"Once we settle all this then we can begin to look forward and improve the squad."

Reina does not believe the squad needs major surgery, but hopes boss Rafael Benitez, should he remain at the club, can bring in some high-profile signings.

"It is not about quantity, it is about quality," he said. "We need to bring in the proper ones and improve on the players we already have.

"It is not cheap but I am sure that the manager and his technical staff will be working hard to change that."