Christian Benteke’s agent claims his client is nowhere near an Anfield exit and that he’d like to stay on at the club and fight for his place under Jurgen Klopp.
Christian Benteke’s agent has brought about a new twist into his client’s transfer-saga claiming that the striker wants to stay put at Anfield and he’s nowhere near an exit from the club. This comes only days after reports surfaced of an agreement for the Belgian being reached between Crystal Palace and Liverpool. Since the commencement of the transfer window, the likes of Juventus, West Ham and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for Benteke however it looked like Palace had won the race with a bid in the region of £31.5 million reportedly accepted by the Reds.
However, agent Kelmit Eris has told Sky Sports that there isn’t any truth in the rumours regarding his client’s apparent switch to Palace stating that Benteke is only one year into his contract at Anfield and that he would like to stay on and fight for his place at the club. The striker has issued varied stances regarding his future at the club throughout last season.
While speaking to the Belgian media in March, the striker said he had a difficult time at the club because he felt Klopp was ‘ignoring’ him. However in May, he stated that he’d like to stay and work hard to impress the manager before claiming in June that he’ll wait until after the Euros and consider his future if he wasn’t in the Liverpool manager’s plans.
The Belgian forward certainly didn’t enjoy his debut campaign with Liverpool, having miserably failed to live up to the heavy price tag that got him to Anfield. The striker completed a £32.5 million move from a now relegated Aston Villa in 2015 to become former boss Brendan Rodgers’ marquee signing of the summer. His poor form through the course of the 2015-16 campaign and an apparent inability to keep up with Klopp’s brand of football has suggested Liverpool could do away with the Belgian this summer.
In 42 appearances last season, Benteke scored 10 goals and provided 6 assists which isn’t a great return considering the big money he was brought in for. After a dismal season with Liverpool, the striker endured a fruitless campaign with the Belgian national side at the Euros earning little playing time with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Michy Batshuayi and Divock Origi preferred over him.
Where does the Belgian’s future lie?
The 25-year old is enduring some tough times in a career that showed a lot of promise not very long ago and will want to bring things back in order as early as the upcoming Premier League campaign. Benteke’s abilities haven’t been forgotten through the course of a dismal 2015-16 with an impressive array of clubs still showing their interest in signing the Belgian. With Klopp looking for further attacking talent after having already signed Sadio Mane, it wouldn’t be wise on Benteke’s part to remain at the club.
In Danny Ings, Divock Origi, Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane, the Reds already have a decent array of attacking options to go ahead with into a new season where they only have domestic honours to fight for. At the age of 25, Benteke is at a ‘make or break’ stage in his career and although being the highest paid player at Liverpool could have its financial perks for the Belgian, an extended spell on the bench does a blossoming football career no good. So it would probably be in the best interest of all parties, that Benteke completes a switch away from Anfield this summer.
