Rafael Benitez ready to break bank for David Silva of Valencia
Spanish midfielder David Silv
Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, is prepared to break the Merseyside club’s transfer record for a second time in as many years after identifying David Silva, the Valencia and Spain playmaker, as his principal transfer target this summer.
Liverpool may be eyeing a first Barclays Premier League title and second European Cup under Benítez this season, but having ended speculation about his future this month by signing a new contract that will keep him at Anfield for another five years, the manager is already planning for next season and he is willing to spend the bulk of his £30 million summer transfer kitty on Silva.
With debts that stood at £462 million last November, Valencia have conceded that they may have to sell their best players at the end of the season, including Silva, David Villa, the forward, and Raúl Albiol, the defender, and Benítez hopes to take advantage of his former club’s parlous financial state.
Benítez will walk away if Valencia — who asked for a combined fee of about £130 million for Silva and Villa when Manchester City inquired about their availability in January — demand an unrealistic price, but it is feasible that the Liverpool manager could exceed the club-record £20.2 million he paid Atlético Madrid for Fernando Torres, the Spain striker, in July 2007 in order to snare Silva.
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Under the terms of his new contract, Benítez has been granted the power to begin transfer negotiations — if not necessarily conclude them — and by moving swiftly for Silva he hopes to wrap up a deal at a reasonable price relatively quickly, rather than allow the situation to drag on throughout the summer.
Eduardo Maciá, the Liverpool chief scout, who brought Silva to Valencia when he was a teenager, was recently sent to Spain to ask about his availability and is thought to have been encouraged by what he was told, even though Liverpool would probably face competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona for the 23-year-old.
The prospect of a move to Anfield would certainly appeal to Silva, not least because of the strong Spanish contingent at the club, from Benítez, Maciá and others on the management staff, to Torres, Xabi Alonso, José Manuel Reina, Albert Riera and Álvaro Arbeloa, his Spain team-mates with whom he won the European Championship last summer, on the playing side.
Silva would certainly be a welcome addition. He operated in an advanced left-sided position for Spain, in support of Torres and Villa, during the European Championship but can play on either wing or directly behind a lone striker, a versatility that appeals greatly to Benítez.
A move for Albiol cannot be ruled out in the event that Daniel Agger, the Denmark defender who is attracting interest from Real, AC Milan and Juventus, fails to sign a new contract and leaves Anfield, but capturing Silva is the priority.
Benítez will have no hesitation looking elsewhere, however, if Valencia are overambitious in their demands, with Aaron Lennon, the Tottenham Hotspur winger, Antonio Valencia, of Wigan Athletic, and Arjen Robben, the Real winger, cheaper alternatives.
Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, has claimed that he is ready to sell part of his shares in the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team and possibly his Dallas Stars ice hockey franchise, moves that could be designed to consolidate his position at Anfield. The news comes only days after George Gillett Jr, his estranged business partner, denied that he was looking to sell his 50 per cent stake in Liverpool despite ordering a full review of his assets.
“I’ve been quietly looking for minority investors to come back into the ownership of the Rangers as a way to be prudent in a bad economy,” Hicks said. “I’m doing the same thing with the Stars.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article5983313.ece
Spanish midfielder David Silv
Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, is prepared to break the Merseyside club’s transfer record for a second time in as many years after identifying David Silva, the Valencia and Spain playmaker, as his principal transfer target this summer.
Liverpool may be eyeing a first Barclays Premier League title and second European Cup under Benítez this season, but having ended speculation about his future this month by signing a new contract that will keep him at Anfield for another five years, the manager is already planning for next season and he is willing to spend the bulk of his £30 million summer transfer kitty on Silva.
With debts that stood at £462 million last November, Valencia have conceded that they may have to sell their best players at the end of the season, including Silva, David Villa, the forward, and Raúl Albiol, the defender, and Benítez hopes to take advantage of his former club’s parlous financial state.
Benítez will walk away if Valencia — who asked for a combined fee of about £130 million for Silva and Villa when Manchester City inquired about their availability in January — demand an unrealistic price, but it is feasible that the Liverpool manager could exceed the club-record £20.2 million he paid Atlético Madrid for Fernando Torres, the Spain striker, in July 2007 in order to snare Silva.
Related Links
Under the terms of his new contract, Benítez has been granted the power to begin transfer negotiations — if not necessarily conclude them — and by moving swiftly for Silva he hopes to wrap up a deal at a reasonable price relatively quickly, rather than allow the situation to drag on throughout the summer.
Eduardo Maciá, the Liverpool chief scout, who brought Silva to Valencia when he was a teenager, was recently sent to Spain to ask about his availability and is thought to have been encouraged by what he was told, even though Liverpool would probably face competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona for the 23-year-old.
The prospect of a move to Anfield would certainly appeal to Silva, not least because of the strong Spanish contingent at the club, from Benítez, Maciá and others on the management staff, to Torres, Xabi Alonso, José Manuel Reina, Albert Riera and Álvaro Arbeloa, his Spain team-mates with whom he won the European Championship last summer, on the playing side.
Silva would certainly be a welcome addition. He operated in an advanced left-sided position for Spain, in support of Torres and Villa, during the European Championship but can play on either wing or directly behind a lone striker, a versatility that appeals greatly to Benítez.
A move for Albiol cannot be ruled out in the event that Daniel Agger, the Denmark defender who is attracting interest from Real, AC Milan and Juventus, fails to sign a new contract and leaves Anfield, but capturing Silva is the priority.
Benítez will have no hesitation looking elsewhere, however, if Valencia are overambitious in their demands, with Aaron Lennon, the Tottenham Hotspur winger, Antonio Valencia, of Wigan Athletic, and Arjen Robben, the Real winger, cheaper alternatives.
Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, has claimed that he is ready to sell part of his shares in the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team and possibly his Dallas Stars ice hockey franchise, moves that could be designed to consolidate his position at Anfield. The news comes only days after George Gillett Jr, his estranged business partner, denied that he was looking to sell his 50 per cent stake in Liverpool despite ordering a full review of his assets.
“I’ve been quietly looking for minority investors to come back into the ownership of the Rangers as a way to be prudent in a bad economy,” Hicks said. “I’m doing the same thing with the Stars.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article5983313.ece
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