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Football

12th Jul 2016

Bad news for Liverpool fans on the Christian Benteke front

SportsJOE

It looks like he’s staying.

The player who started his Anfield career in a blaze of glory didn’t so much go up in smoke as he went down with a puff of air by the end of the season.

The 32 million man came from Aston Villa having led the line and hit nets for fun with the B6 club and it looked like some Liverpool fans’ protestations over his signature would be silenced at the beginning.

Benteke started scoring goals, and different kinds of them, and if he hadn’t turned those doubts to praise, he at least just shut some people up for a while.

Of course, by the campaign’s end, he was reduced to a bench player seeing very little action, watching his younger compatriot Divock Origi steal the show.

So in March, he admitted that life was difficult and that Klopp “ignores” him.

In May, he said he wanted to talk with the manager because he wanted to stay.

In June, he said it would be difficult to stay.

Now, in July, it’s apparent that he will stay.

It was reported last month that Crystal Palace were chasing the 25-year-old Belgium with a £25m bait. Liverpool, still trying to recover from paying £35m for Andy Carroll, were said to be holding out for five extra million.

But the prospect of 25 for Benteke is too tempting for some people,

https://twitter.com/John_B109/status/752602505150889984

Nonetheless, Sky Sports are reporting that talk of Benteke’s transfer is fruitless – according to the player’s agent anyway.

‘Christian Benteke’s agent Kismet Eris has told Sky Sports News HQ there is “nothing in” reports the Belgium striker is on the brink of leaving Liverpool’, the report reads.

‘Eris, who was Benteke’s intermediary in the £32.5m deal that took him to Anfield last summer, insists his client wants to stay at the Reds and fight for his place this season.’

Benteke has one year completed of his five-year contract with Liverpool.

That’s exciting, right?

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