With Christian Benteke likely to leave Liverpool ahead of 2016/17, the club have placed a £30 million price tag over the striker’s head.
Benteke endured a troubled campaign under Jurgen Klopp, slipping down the pecking order in attack, and this has continued this summer following the arrival of Sadio Mane.
Both Crystal Palace and West Ham United are reported to be interested in securing the Belgian’s services, but after spending £32.5 million to sign Benteke from Aston Villa last summer, Liverpool will look to recoup much of that fee if he is to be sold.
According to the Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe, Fenway Sports Group are set to remain resolute over their valuation of Benteke—and demand £30 million from his suitors.
Furthermore, if no potential buyer is willing to pay the full fee, Liverpool are willing to keep Benteke at the club until the following transfer window.
This lofty valuation should be no issue for Palace or West Ham, with their failed big-money bids for Michy Batshuayi and Alexandre Lacazette respectively revealing two key factors to Liverpool.
Both sides are desperate to sign a top-level goalscorer, and both sides are willing to pay upwards of £30 million for the privilege.
This, and the trend of heavy spending for English-based players emerging in recent years, likely hands the Reds an advantage.
Selling Benteke for £30 million would wipe out the significant fee paid to Southampton to sign Mane, reducing FSG’s net spend for the summer to just £9.8 million.
Liverpool have already submitted an £11 million bid for Piotr Zielinski, while Leicester City are asking for around £10 million for priority left-back target Ben Chilwell—having rejected the Reds’ initial offer of £7 million.
The sale of Benteke would likely allow manager Jurgen Klopp further leeway in the transfer market, possibly leading to a move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud.
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