Reds to swoop for wing wizard?

Rafa Benitez is ready to make a renewed effort to snap up promising Dutch winger Eljero Elia this summer.

The Liverpool boss has been trailing the 23 year old Hamburg player and will attempt to capture persuade Elia's Bundsliga employers to accept a £9m bid for his services.

The Anfield boss has reportedly been looking at alternatives to help give his side natural width to help boost the club's midfield creativity and to help provide more firepower to its front line. Having seen Albert Riera and Ryan Babel struggle to adapt to Premier League life Benitez is looking to bring in new additions but knows that funds may well dictate just what targets he can afford to make moves for.

The Merseyside outfit has severe financial concerns and any signings made this summer will have to be funded by outgoing sales and with that in mind the Spanish boss is looking to offload under performing members of his Anfield squad. Albert Riera is a target of several Russian sides as is Yossi Benayoun but the Israeli has surely done enough to persuade Rafa of his worth.

Eljero Elia has come to the fore over the past 18 months and is now hoping to be part of Bert van Marwijk's Dutch squad for the forthcoming World Cup in South Africa. Although the former Ajax man only arrived at Hamburg last summer he has seen the club fall from the Champions League placings and could well find himself without any European football to speak of and the Bundesliga side reportedly find themselves in financial woes of their own which may result in them having to sell players of their own.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.