Source: Telegraph
Liverpool see another target missed with David Silva close to Real Madrid deal
Straining under the weight of an annual loss of £42.6 million, linked to around £350m worth of debt the Americans loaded on to the club, Rafa Benitez's ability to operate effectively in the transfer market appears in doubt.
Liverpool have already watched as Manchester City tied up a £12 million deal to take long-term target Gareth Barry from Aston Villa to the City of Manchester Stadium and now Silva appears to have been lost too.
Benitez had identified his compatriot as a player to bring some much needed flair and variation to his front line but will now have to find those qualities elsewhere, according to a report in the Times.
Real have a transfer budget estimated to be in the region of £200 million with which they will fund the purchase of five players.
Real are confident that Silva's club, Valencia, could be persuaded to release the player for as little as £20 million, the same amount as was offered by Juventus last year.
Valencia, too, are in great financial peril and will almost certainly have to sell Silva and team-mate David Villa this summer just to stay afloat.
Silva's agents, Julio Llorente and Amadeo Rangel, have already met with Real's sporting director, Miguel Pardeza, and Jorge Valdano, their director general, in Madrid to discuss the proposed deal.
