Liverpool have rejected Crystal Palace’s second bid for Christian Benteke due to the unrealistic add-on clauses included in the offer for the Belgian.
There seems to be no end in sight for Alan Pardew’s troubles and Crystal Palace’s misfortunes. Having recently sold Yannick Bolasie to Everton for £28 million, their hope to rope in striker Christian Benteke has been dismissed by Liverpool because of the ‘unrealistic’ structure of the proposed deal, as reported by The Times.
Palace’s offer of £23.5 million for the player and £7 million in add-ons is contingent on a set of conditions which state that £2.5 million can be claimed only if Palace qualify for the Champions League, the probability of which is an exercise in optimism. Furthermore, it also rests on the condition that Benteke score 20 goals while appearing for 70% of their matches.
Following a disappointing performance in their home defeat against West Brom last week, Palace’s Alan Pardew has been at the receiving end of widespread criticism for his approach to the game and the lack of tactical diligence therein. Palace have only won two of their last 22 matches, losing 13 Premier League matches in 2016.
Consequently, one can understand the desperation with which they need the 25-year-old Belgian striker in their ranks if they are to make a mark this season. However, this need was not reflected in their offer, which Jurgen Klopp readily rejected.
Be that as it may, Benteke will be more than willing to leave Anfield with Klopp not working too hard to hide his indifference for the player. Hardly used in pre-season, the Belgian was the subject of a similar offer from Palace for £25 million earlier this summer, which was also rejected by Liverpool.
Benteke was bought from Aston Villa for £32.5 million by the then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. However, ever since Klopp has taken charge, things haven’t been going so well for the Belgian striker. While he has been told that he can leave the Merseyside club, Klopp would look to break even when they finally decide to let go of him. Perhaps Palace need to take these developments into cognisance and return with a more suitable offer as they prepare to restructure their team around a new striker.
