Benitez will be handed an initial kitty of only around £20 million – to be supplemented by sales – by Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the club's co-owners, but his admission that he is willing to spend more than that sum on one player alone is bound
to increase speculation surrounding the future of Carlos Tevez.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, has shied away from paying the £22 million fee Tevez's adviser, Kia Joorabchian, agreed with the Old Trafford club when the Argentine forward arrived on loan in 2007, to secure him on a permanent basis. Tevez is now free to negotiate with other clubs.
Benitez, though, is believed to have privately acknowledged he does not have the money to enter a bidding war, so is likely to turn to alternative targets.
Valencia winger David Silva, valued by Benitez at around £15 million, remains a priority, as does Gareth Barry, who may move for a cut-price £9 million deal as his Aston Villa contract expires next year.
The likes of Aaron Lennon, Glen Johnson, Valencia defender Raul Albiol and Bordeaux winger Yoann Gourcuff, on loan from Milan, are all thought to be under consideration, though none of those would command a club-record fee. Benitez is determined to add up to five first-team players this summer.
His spending will be supplemented by the likely departures of Andrea Dossena, Andrei Voronin and Sebastian Leto, while Benitez could also be tempted to part with Ryan Babel and Xabi Alonso.