Rafael Benítez steered clear of discussing Aston Villa and the Gareth Barry affair yesterday as he welcomed two of his early-summer signings to Anfield, but the Liverpool manager indicated that he was ready to risk the wrath of another of his Barclays Premier League rivals by stepping up his attempt to entice Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur.

Having talked up the possibility of a bid for David Villa barely 24 hours earlier, Benítez conceded that the Valencia forward’s exploits for Spain in the European Championship finals had taken him beyond the Merseyside club’s budget, which he suggested was “not much money”. But the Liverpool manager has asked Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the club’s American owners, to support him in a bid to sign Keane, paving the way for what is likely to be a bitter wrangle with Tottenham, even before they have resolved their ugly dispute with Aston Villa over a deal to take Barry to Anfield.

“I mentioned David Villa as one of the names we are looking at, but we know his price and, given the players we have, we need to look for another kind of player,” Benítez said.

“Keane is clearly a player that has game intelligence and we are looking for players who can fit into our systems and improve the team. We’re looking for players with the right quality and I think we’ll find some in the next few days — not necessarily the names that everybody knows.”

That last statement hinted at alternative targets in addition to Keane, but, in the case of Barry, Benítez is determined to sign the England midfield player, even though he believes that the Midlands club’s £18 million valuation is inflated.

Liverpool’s optimism is based partly on the breakdown of Barry’s relationship with Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, who, having been angered by the player’s handling of the transfer saga, has banned him from the club while his team-mates are preparing for the new season.

Given that Benítez was flanked by Andrea Dossena, an £8 million left back from Udinese, and Philipp Degen, the Switzerland right back, who has joined on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund, and was talking about signing Barry and Keane for at least £15 million apiece and Diego Cavalieri, a £3 million reserve goalkeeper, from Palmeiras, his pleas of poverty may sound hollow.

But the Liverpool manager has been told that the vast majority of his transfer budget must be financed by selling players, hence the departure of John Arne Riise to AS Roma for £4 million, Peter Crouch’s imminent move to Portsmouth for a projected £11 million fee and the club’s willingness to negotiate the sales of Scott Carson, Charles Itandje, Jermaine Pennant, Danny Guthrie and, most surprisingly of all, Xabi Alonso.

“Ideally, we would want two or three players more,” Benítez said. “We don’t have much money, so we need to deal with selling and buying players. I knew more or less the situation before the summer and, when you know what to expect, you need to show imagination and be creative to find solutions. Degen is proof that we were working really well, and Dossena is here. We’ve been working without spending big money and now we can see if we can progress with the other names.”

Those other names are unlikely to include David Silva, another hero of Valencia and Spain and a player who figures prominently on the wishlist of many a Liverpool supporter. Instead, Benítez is looking for different options and hopes, too, that Ryan Babel, who flattered to deceive in his first season at the club, can bring a much-needed element of fantasy to a team who still look short of title-challenging quality.