Valencia for Riise?

John Arne Riise is being lined up by Valencia and Ronald Koeman in an audacious £4 million swoop. The Norweigan international has long been chased by the Spanish giants, but Liverpool have been reluctant to sell.

Koeman said: “He is a player with experience and would offer some options for our game.”

Valencia sporting director Miguel Angel Ruiz said: “We want to improve our squad.”

The Spaniards first approach for European Cup winner Riise was rejected but Liverpool could be set to listen to offers in January as Benitez looks to offload some players in order to bring in some fresh blood.