Crystal Palace Bid £25 Million for Christian Benteke

Christian Benteke and Belgium will no longer be at Euro 2016 after being knocked out by Wales, but the Liverpool striker is the subject of a £25 million bid from Crystal Palace. A bid was reportedly being prepared for the 25-year-old, but Liverpool's £30 million valuation would have to be met for any deal to be agreed. This offer should start the beginning of the end for Benteke after just one season at Anfield.

Jürgen Klopp will most likely persevere with a single-striker system as he enters his first pre-season and full season since taking charge in October. Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi, and Roberto Firmino were preferred to Benteke last season, and with the return of Danny Ings to supplement the club's options in attack, the former Aston Villa was on the way out. That seemed on the cards for some time, but Liverpool's concern centred the sizeable transfer fee and wages committed to securing the Belgian international last July.

Crystal Palace seem well-suited to exploit Benteke's qualities with direct and quick players such as Yannick Bolasie, Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend, and Jason Puncheon to support him. Whether Benteke's reported £140,000 wages and £30 million price-tag will be matched is uncertain. What seems likely, however, is that a deal isn't too far away from being struck. There was a £31.5 million bid for Chelsea-bound Michy Batshuayi, a move that indicates that the money is available to bid higher for Batshuayi's compatriot if the will is there.

Alan Pardew probably fancies Benteke terrorising defenders in the air, which will probably see Liverpool recoup a huge chunk of the £32.5 million paid for a good striker who was simply unsuitable for the way Klopp wants from his strikers. Crystal Palace can go higher, Liverpool want more money, and Benteke wants to leave; the £30 million spent on Sadio Mané earlier this week doesn't look so silly in the light of this move. Maybe Liverpool have finally got a firm hold of this transfer thing.