Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted that it makes sense for Christian Benteke to leave the club this summer, and noted that the Belgian agrees.
The £32.5m signing struggled in his first season at Anfield last year, having previously established himself as a prolific scorer during his spell with Aston Villa.
As it has become clear that he doesn’t fit into Klopp’s preferred style of play and system, it has been felt for some time that the Belgian international could be on his way out of the club.
Klopp has seemingly confirmed it, but the German tactician has warned any interested parties that Benteke will not be leaving for anything short of what they feel is a fair valuation of the player.
“Everyone knows about it. Christian has already said maybe it makes sense to go to another club. Christian is still a really great striker,” he told the media, as noted by Sky Sports.
“We have a few more strikers and I think it makes more sense to give them match time. But if there are clubs that want a real striker than they have to make real offers otherwise we will find solutions. A few clubs try to gamble but we are not part of this, we are serious.”
Klopp went on to hint that Liverpool’s work in the transfer market is not yet over, as he continues to evaluate ways in which he can strengthen his squad.
His task has been made more complicated by the fact that the likes of Loris Karius and Joel Matip have picked up injuries in pre-season, but ultimately he may feel that there are other areas of the squad that need to be addressed before the deadline.
As for Benteke, it’s a disappointing path that he has found himself on after making such an impression at Villa, but ultimately it makes sense for all concerned for him to find another club where he will have a bigger and more influential role to play.