Crystal Palace have had a bid rejected by Liverpool for Christian Benteke, according to the Express’ Paul Joyce. The Eagles want to add to their striking options following an opening day defeat at home to West Brom, and see the Belgian international as a strong option.
Palace have held interest in Benteke for much of the summer now, and made an official offer of £23 million plus another £7m in add-ons for the striker. However, Liverpool quickly rejected it in favour of getting a deal more heavily weighted towards an up-front fee.
Benteke was a big-money signing when he signed for The Reds from Aston Villa for a fee of £32.5 million last year, but struggled to fit into Jurgen Klopp’s pressing game when he took over as manager in October. Even with more than half of his Premier League appearances coming from the substitutes’ bench last year, the 25-year-old still scored nine goals – although only three of them came in 2016.
The striker has been a highly-sought-after property this summer, with The Eagles just one of the teams interested in securing his signature. West Bromwich Albion want to bring him back to the Midlands to improve their chances of survival, but it’s understood that Benteke isn’t eager to move to The Baggies. Sunderland and Everton have also been keeping tabs on the striker, but Palace seem the most likely to get their man.
According to Paul Joyce, the offer from The Eagles for the Belgian international was rejected due to how the bonuses would be activated, with Liverpool reportedly seeing them as “unrealistic”. They are seeking a deal more balanced in their favour, with a larger portion of the money going to them this summer.
