By Chris Wright
It would appear that Christian Benteke leaving Aston Villa is little more than a formality now with Liverpool said to have triggered the Belgian striker’s release clause this very afternoon.
It’s being widely reported (first by the Liverpool Echo) that Liverpool have lodged a buyout-busting £32.5million offer for Benteke as they seek to immediately reinvest the Raheem Sterling money that is burning a hole in their collective pockets.
Danny Ings will be pleased.
According to the Daily Mail, thanks to a sell-on stipulation, Benteke’s former side Genk are entitled to 15% on any profit Villa make above the £7million price they paid to purchase the striker three years ago – meaning Villa will only receive approximately £28.7million of the total fee.
Benteke is a force of nature in the air and definitely performs best with a few nippy little sattelite forwards buzzing in and around him – of which Liverpool happen to have many. Could be one hell of a signing, this.
The aforementioned fee would mean Benteke is set to become Liverpool’s second most expensive player ever, though he’ll undoubtedly prove far better value than the lumbering brute still perched at the top of the list.