Every club that plays in the Premier League buys or sells players in the summer transfer window in order to boost their ambitions for the new season. Changes are made within squads in order to remove the weaknesses and to strengthen the areas which need to be fortified. Such is the case with most clubs, especially the top sides. Keeping that in mind, Merseyside outfit Liverpool will also look to do something similar under manager Jurgen Klopp, as they look to make things happen for them in the upcoming campaign.
One player that the Reds really need to get rid of and fast is last summer’s signing Christian Benteke, with the Belgian international really unhappy at Anfield and looking to leave, prior to the start of the new season.
Since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp at the club, the former Aston Villa man has not played much football and has been a mere spectator on the sidelines.
The reason for that has been that the 25 year old striker has failed to live up to expectations and deliver for the Kop boss when they needed him the most.
With the lack of regular game time, the player was frustrated after falling down the pecking order and had stated that it would be tough for him to continue at the club, if things did not change soon.
Further, it was recently reported that the attacker had already agreed terms with Crystal Palace and a fee was yet to be negotiated between the two clubs.
There had also been previous speculations suggesting that the player could move to Stamford Bridge as well, after the club failed to re-sign Lukaku from Everton.
From Benteke’s point of view, the star striker would surely prefer joining the Blues and continuing his ambitions of winning titles in the near future. However, it could also be that he is not really liking the fact of playing under a lot of pressure and linking up with so many stars around him.
This could be the reason for him agreeing a deal with The Eagles, though whether or not the club will be able to pay his huge fee, remains to be seen.
Looking at things from the club’s perspective now! Antonio Conte will be taking over at west London and will need a striker who can provide him goals. Though Benteke has not been recently in good form, the departure of Diego Costa could possibly trigger that move.
There had been claims that the former Atletico Madrid man wants to return to Spain and it would be up to Conte now to retain his services if possible. If the Brazilian born striker does indeed leave, it will surely weaken the Chelsea squad, which could force the former Juventus manager look at Benteke as an option, if none of the other players that are linked with the club sign for them.
The Londoners finished at 10th place in the top flight of English football and will not be taking part in any form of European football in the upcoming campaign. The recent signing of Michy Batshuayi from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille would have been a huge boost for Conte, though more attacking options would still be needed if Costa does leave.