Liverpool £30m misfit at centre of transfer battle between Premier League rivals

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Sunderland boss David Moyes is reportedly set to go head-to-head with former club Everton to sign £30m Liverpool striker Christian Benteke this summer.

The Belgian international has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield after struggling for form following his move from Aston Villa last summer.

With 10 goals in all competitions, the former Genk forward didn’t form a crucial part of Jurgen Klopp’s plans and was linked with a departure earlier this summer.

In turn, he’s widely expected to move on ahead of the new campaign, although Liverpool are keen to recoup as much of the £32.5m that they spent on him.

According to The Mirror, Moyes has made the 25-year-old his top target as he looks to plot his new side’s stay in the Premier League after they narrowly avoided relegation last season under Sam Allardyce.

He has identified the requirement for additional firepower, and Benteke seemingly fits the bill as he’s confident that he can rediscover the striker that was so prolific for Villa just two seasons ago.

However, as noted in the report, Everton are likely to be stiff competition for their former boss, as Ronald Koeman could be in the market for a replacement for Romelu Lukaku this month, should Chelsea meet their valuation of the striker.

The Toffees have reportedly placed a staggering £75m price-tag on the former Chelsea star, and so it remains to be seen whether or not Antonio Conte is willing to splash out on the forward this summer and add him to his current options of Michy Batshuayi and Diego Costa.

If that doesn’t happen, then Moyes will feel confident that Sunderland will be able to get a deal done for Benteke, and while the club hierarchy will have to sign off on the transfer fee, their manager will desperately need more options up front to compliment Jermain Defoe.

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