Liverpool have today confirmed the signing of Christian Benteke from Aston Villa in a £32.5m deal. The Belgian striker becomes the Reds’ second most expensive player of all time and our seventh signing of the summer.
#LFC are delighted to confirm the signing of Belgian striker @bentekechris20 from @AVFCOfficial #BentekeLFC pic.twitter.com/QODMLLUGhn
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 22, 2015
Brendan Rodgers’ side were linked with the 24-year-old for several months before eventually meeting the player’s buyout clause last Thursday (via BBC Sport). The exact terms of the deal have been thrashed out over the last few days and the move has now been completed.
Benteke joins James Milner, Danny Ings, Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne at Anfield and takes our summer spending past the £80m mark for the second summer in succession – albeit with Raheem Sterling’s £49m move to Manchester City ensuring we’re not too much out of pocket.
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Liverpool have been craving a new marquee striker since the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona last year and finally look to have got their man after a lengthy transfer saga.
Benteke spent three years at Villa after joining the club from Belgian side Genk. He scored 49 goals in 100 appearances in all competitions, which included 15 last season. He was given a new lease of life by Villa boss Tim Sherwood last season and became the club’s talisman, firing them to Premier League safety and the FA Cup final.
Having scored five goals in six appearances against Liverpool, let’s hope that he can continue his already impressive record in matches involving the Reds.
We welcome Christian to the club and wish him all the best for his time with us!