Reds Eye Malouda Raid

Rafa Benitez will reportedly start his revamp of the Liverpool squad on the wings.

Benitez will have significant sums to spend this summer from both his planned clearout of the Anfield squad (which could see Mark Gonzalez, Bolo Zenden, Craig Bellamy and Harry Kewell head for the exit door), and from backing from the club's new American owners.

Wednesday's Sun claims that the Spanish boss is lining up a raid on his old club Valencia to sign left-winger David Silva.

Silva has been one of the finds of the season for Quique Sanchez Flores' side after signing from Celta Vigo last summer.

The Valencia man could cost up to £12 million, but a slightly cheaper option could be Lyon wideman Florent Malouda.

Odd to see reports linking Rafa to a Frenchman. It's like a trip in the Way-Back Machine to the Houllier era when Liverpool brought in the likes of Cisse, Cheyrou, Le Tallec, and Sinama-Pongolle. David Silva would be the more likely Rafa signing, simply because he's Spanish.

But either player could achieve "+10" status, depending on which names leave Liverpool. If Zenden, Gonzalez, and Kewell go (and maybe even Riise) it would seem that a new left-winger would quickly find themselves at the front of the playing-time queue.