Liverpool have turned Crystal Palace away yet again after the Londoners came calling for Christian Benteke’s signature.
It may be getting rather tiresome but the Guardian are reporting that a bid of £23m with a further £7m in add-ons has been flatly refused without consideration by the Reds.
When Liverpool took on Arsenal on Sunday at the Emirates stadium Benteke wasn’t even in the match-day squad which is a rather damning statement of what his involvement would be this season if he stayed on Merseyside. Since Jürgen Klopp took over as manager in October last year there has been very little room for Benteke in the Liverpool side.
The reason for Klopp’s indifference towards Benteke is his inability to play the way the former Borussia Dortmund manager demands from his players. The Belgian international, quite frankly, is not suited to a high pressing style of football. His form with Aston Villa demonstrates that in the right system he can be a great forward.
This unsuitability to play in Klopp’s team means that a move is on the cards and Crystal Palace would be an ideal destination for him. There are enough quality players in the team for it to be a step-up from Villa and a step down from Liverpool. The difference is he will be receiving the right kind of service regularly if he joins Palace.
It seems as though the transfer is only a case of agreeing to what Liverpool are demanding.