After Raheem Sterling completed a big-money move to money-bags Manchester City, Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers has moved to seek his replacement, and has set his sights on one of the most sought-after strikers in England at the moment, Belgium and Aston Villa Talisman Christian Benteke.
Benteke, who scored 13 goals in 29 appearances in Villa colours, is also wanted by Manchester United, Chelsea and a host of other clubs across Europe. Strong in the air and on land, the player would certainly be a good acquisition for any club which manages to tempt Aston Villa into selling their star man. However, the only stumbling block to any deal for the player would be a hefty £32.8 million buy-out clause embedded in his current contract.
To the likes of Mourinho and United, the huge fee may not pose a problem. However, despite offloading Sterling for a relatively higher fee of about £49.8 million, reports state that Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers is still very keen on the player, but is also unwilling to meet Villa’s £32.8 million asking price.
With this, it appears thus, that Liverpool may have to take their tentacles elsewhere to continue the search for a top striker, as Aston Villa are not in any way looking to reduce the price tag on the signature of their star man.