Liverpool accept £32m Benteke bid from Crystal Palace19:10, 18 AUG 2016 UPDATED 19:56, 18 AUG 2016
BY JAMES PEARCE
Striker to travel to London for medical, with £27m deal potentially reaching £32m including add-ons
Liverpool have agreed a £32million deal with Crystal Palace for striker Christian Benteke .The Belgium international has been given permission by the Reds to travel to London to undergo a medical and sort out personal terms.
Palace will pay Liverpool £27million up front with a further £5million to potentially follow in add-ons.A much improved offer was tabled by the Londoners on Thursday - some 48 hours after a bid of £23million plus £7million in add-ons was instantly rejected.
Palace had initially tried to link the add-ons to the prospect of Benteke firing them into the Champions League as well as the big frontman breaking the 20-goal per season barrier.
However, the ECHO understands that the clauses included in the deal which has been agreed concerning the additional £5million are both realistic and achievable.
As a result Liverpool are confident they will recoup in excess of £30million for a player who cost them £32.5million from Aston Villa a year ago.
Benteke will become Palace’s all-time record signing - some 12 months after joining Liverpool for £32.5million from Aston Villa.
The 25-year-old was resigned to leaving the club after Jurgen Klopp informed him he wasn’t in his plans for this season.
Bought by Brendan Rodgers, Benteke always faced a struggle to establish himself following Klopp’s appointment last October. He netted 10 goals in 42 appearances last season but the second most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history was a poor fit for Klopp’s high intensity brand of attacking football.
The £110,000 per week frontman couldn’t hold down a place in the side and made just three league starts following the turn of the year.
With Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings all ahead of him in the pecking order, a parting of the ways this summer always looked inevitable.
The fee represents good business for Liverpool with Palace desperate for an injection of firepower after their opening weekend defeat to West Brom.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-accept-32m-benteke-bid-11770163
