Liverpool Unwilling to Consider Benteke Loan

With the start of the Premier League season just around the corner, transfer rumors surrounding Liverpool striker Christian Benteke are heating up once again. The Belgian international was close to making a move to Crystal Palace last month, but the deal eventually fell through because the London-based club would not meet Liverpool’s £30 million valuation.

Today, The Echo is reporting that Klopp & Co. will not consider a loan move away for the striker, preferring instead to keep him as an at best fourth-choice striker. The stance is perhaps a bit surprising given Benteke’s large wage packet.

Liverpool have thus far taken a hard-line stance on the 25-year-old striker, wanting to recoup most of their initial £32.5 million investment from last summer.

Other than Crystal Palace, Hull City, West Ham, Everton, and Sunderland have all been linked (tentatively or otherwise) to Benteke this summer, so interest is certainly out there to make a permanent move away. Additionally, the increased TV revenues in the Premier League should allow smaller clubs to splash the cash for Benteke, should they choose.

Benteke arrived from Aston Villa last season amid controversy over fit and cost. Those fears proved to be largely justified over the course of the campaign, despite the striker scoring 10 goals in all competitions. He will likely make a very good striker within the right system, as he was for Villa before his move to the red half of Merseyside.