Liverpool are going to make an improved £25m offer for Aston Villa star Christian Benteke, reports the Daily Mirror.
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They have already seen a £22m bid turned down by the Villans, who are adamant they won’t let the player go for less than his £32.5m release clause. Even so the Reds are hopeful that this new offer could be enough to tempt them in to selling. It would still be a profit on the £7m that they paid for him in the first place, according to the BBC.
The Mirror claims that the 24-year-old is unhappy with his situation at Villa Park, and has made it clear that he won’t be signing a new contract to stay there beyond the next two seasons. This is despite the striker experiencing something of a renaissance under current manager Tim Sherwood. Under the former Tottenham boss Benteke scored 12 goals in 16 games after only managing three in 18 before that under Paul Lambert.
If the Reds are unable to prise the striker away from Aston Villa there are still other options for them to bolster their front line with. The Liverpool Echo revealed Sevilla star Carlos Bacca’s agent has claimed the Anfield outfit are interested in his client. With 28 goals in 59 appearances last season, including two in the Europa League final, the Colombia international may even prove to be a better option than Benteke.
Whoever they buy will surely be better than the group they had last time around. Daniel Sturridge struggled with injuries and only managed five goals, while Rickie Lambert, Fabio Borini, and Mario Balotelli got a paltry eight between the three of them.
Prior to that, Liverpool enjoyed more success with the free-scoring Luis Suarez leading the line, with the Uruguayan scoring 31 league goals in 2013/14 before finally making the move to Barcelona.