The press reported that the leader of the Spanish championship and the finalist of the UEFA Cup are interested in forwards who have dropped out of the English Premier League.
Knowing about "Leeds" financial difficulties and having secured a place in the next year's Champions League, "Valencia" started looking for a forward who could lead the team to higher heights.
The coach of the Spanish club, Rafael Benitez, started actively looking into two "Leeds" stars - the young England national team forward Alan Smith and the Australian national team star Mark Viduka.
Both players lead the team in scoring - this season, the Australian has scored 12 goals, while 23-year-old Smith has scored eight.
Both forwards are valued at a similar amount - around six million pounds (about 31 million litas), so for the Spanish team, which will receive a significant amount of money for participating in the Champions League next year, this sum shouldn't pose major difficulties.
However, "Valencia" will have to compete with other clubs - Smith is also of interest to "Man Utd," "Newcastle," and "Birmingham," while Viduka is being considered by "Man Utd," "Galatasaray," "Middlesbrough," and "AS Roma."