The 27-year-old has previously played for Cologne, Mainz and Borussia Monchengladbach and also represented his country on 40 occasions, scoring five goals in the process.

On the assumption that Benitez does not sell Craig Bellamy in the summer following his alleged antics on a Portuguese training camp, Voronin will become the Merseysiders’ fourth striker.

Benitez may also try to sign a proven 20-goal-a-season forward, which would only hasten the departure of Robbie Fowler, who returned to the club in January last year for what was an unexpected swansong for one of the club’s modern legends.

Benitez initially gave Fowler a six-month contract, extending that by a year last summer.

But it is unlikely sentiment will come into the Spaniard’s plans for the future now he has been promised a sizeable transfer kitty by the club’s new American owners.

But that has not stopped Benitez hailing Fowler as the best finisher at the club.

He told Liverpool’s official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv: “He’s a really good finisher, still the best we have, and I sometimes think that if we could have Bellamy running at defenders and carrying the ball 20 yards, then turning into Fowler with the goal in sight, it would be perfect.

“If you create chances for him, you know you can rely on his finishing and that is a very important quality to have.”