Benitez goes for gold by settling for Silva because he can't afford that Villa

Golden goal: David Silva nets Spain's third in the Euro 2008 semi-final against Russia

The Liverpool boss wants to sign Spain wideman David Silva after being priced out of a move for his Valencia team-mate David Villa.

The La Liga club up to £32million for Spain’s four-goal Euro 2008 marksman Villa, a price too high for them especially with Juventus losing interest in signing Anfield star Xabi Alonso.

But Silva, 22, is available for  around £16m and Benitez is keen to tie up a deal, according to reports in The Sun.

Benitez had three years in charge at the Mestalla and 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. But he is also aware that losing the club's best players makes it a less attractive proposition for 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,  is desperate not to lose Villa, who has an agreement which will see his wages rise to £75,000 a week.

Silva is on half that and will therefore be of more interest to Liverpool, while Benitez's hopes will be further raised by the fact his chief scout Eduardo Macia is a close friend of Silva from his days working for Valencia.