Liverpool cannot afford to sign Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez, it has been revealed.

The Sunday Mirror says Kop boss Rafa Benitez made a tentative enquiry about the availability of the Argentine - who is a close friend of Anfield midfielder Javier Mascherano - when it became clear that United are unwilling to pay the £28million it will cost to make Tevez's two-year loan deal at Old Trafford permanent.

But Benitez has been told by Liverpool's American owners that his transfer budget this summer has been set at £20m.

He faces a similar problem with Valencia's David Silva, with the Spanish club's £20m valuation of the winger too rich for the Reds.