Atlético Madrid to raise offer for Valencia's Silva

Atlético de Madrid is preparing to raise its offer for David Silva this week after choosing the Valencia star over Hamburg's Rafael van der Vaart.

Los Colchoneros are keen to land an exciting playmaker and scouted both players in a bid to discover which one would fit into their squad for next season.

With Javier Aguirre's side returning to the Champions League for the first time in over a decade, the club wants to bolster the team with one more acquisition.

Van der Vaart was mooted, but Atlético believes that he would not constitute as good value for money as Silva due to the adaptation to the league and the country.

Despite being half-Spanish and having family in the country, the Dutch international may take some time settling in and instant results are needed.

The off-field chaos at Valencia has again opened the door for bids to be made for the club's star names after Juan Villalonga's brief reign at the helm came to and end.

Promises that nobody would go were made by the former Telefónica chief, but it was a false dawn for Ché fans and the new regime has already stated that Silva or David Villa's exit may not be avoided.

Atlético saw a $31.5 million bid turned down earlier in the summer with Valencia asking for more than $39.3 million and that may now be the amount that is offered.

Barcelona and Roma, among others, will certainly join in the bidding if Atlético is given any encouragement and the price could rise even higher.