RAFA BENITEZ is ready to splash out a pot of gold to bring a dash of Silva to Anfield.
The Liverpool chief is eyeing Spain wideman David Silva after being priced out of a move for his Valencia team-mate David Villa.
The La Liga club want £32million for Spain’s four-goal Euro 2008 marksman Villa and at that price any transfer is dead in the water.
But Silva, 22, is available at around half that price and Benitez is keen to tie up a deal.
The Kop chief, who had three years in charge at the Mestalla, knows his old club need to sell because of the spiralling costs of building a new stadium.
But he is also aware that Valencia are determined to keep hold of Villa to appease fans who are already kicking up a storm at the prospect of losing their prize asset.
Former Valencia president Juan Soler, still the majority shareholder, is keen to sell the club and has placed a £65m price tag on it.
Yet Soler is also aware that losing the club’s crown jewels makes it a less attractive proposition for potential buyers.
And with Benitez also committing a huge chunk of his summer budget to land Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry, hitman Villa’s price almost certainly takes him beyond Liverpool’s reach.
New Valencia manager Unai Emery, at 36 the youngest boss in La Liga, has admitted the decision is out of his hands, but is desperate not to lose Villa, 26.
Villa also has an agreement which will see his wages rise to £75,000 a week — yet Silva is on less than half that figure, bringing him well within Liverpool’s pay structure.
And for all Benitez’ public claims of the Reds’ interest, he is one of the most guarded bosses in the game when it comes to revealing his targets and releasing Villa’s name is generally accepted as little more than a smokescreen.
He also has an ace up his sleeve in the shape of Liverpool chief scout Eduardo Macia, a close friend of Silva from his days working for Valencia.
Macia set the winger on the road to glory by arranging a loan move to Eibar when he was struggling to break into the first team.
That led to a subsequent spell with Celta Vigo, and on his return to Valencia he quickly established himself as a regular.
Despite Benitez’ apparent urgency to sign an out-and-out attacker following Peter Crouch’s departure to Portsmouth, he does have other options already on the books.
Dutch rookie Ryan Babel was used largely on the flanks in his debut season at Anfield but arrived on Merseyside as one of Europe’s hottest young striking talents after playing down the middle for Ajax and Holland.
Andrei Voronin is another alternative, while using Steven Gerrard just off front man Fernando Torres proved a hugely successful pairing last term.
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