Reported Liverpool target David Silva’s agent has told the press his player is not interested in a move to England - having been linked with Liverpool all summer and a bid being placed by Man United last week.

“Silva doesn’t want to play in England because he is happy at Valencia,” said his agent, Julio Llorente. “His family are settled and if he was to move it would only be to another Spanish club, like Real Madrid or Barcelona. David Silva will start the new season at Valencia.”

Llorente also confirmed United have had a bid turned down for the 22 year old attacking midfielder, a player many Liverpool fans have wished for Benitez to add to his squad this summer, and who was linked in the press over the weekend in an article by former Liverpool Echo correspondent Chris Bascombe.

Bascombe had claimed Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett were willing to fund a move for Silva to soften the blow of denying the purchase of Gareth Barry. Some skeptics might see the article by Bascombe as being leaked from boardroom level rather conveniently the morning after the club published the press release regarding Barry at midnight on Saturday, preventing that from being in the morning press.

However, speculation on Tuesday continues with the somewhat unlikely claim that the player Benitez spoke about as being English, left sided and capable of playing in 3 positions is in fact not Barry but Chelsea’s Joe Cole.

Cole of course can play anywhere behind the forward in a 4231 formation. He is also English and thus would add to Liverpool’s homegrown player quote in the Champions League.

The question of doubt is clearly over Chelsea selling a player of Cole’s calibre to Liverpool.