Christian Benteke’s likely move to Crystal Palace moved a step closer on Monday afternoon, as the south London side improved their initial offer.
Palace had initially bid £25 million for the striker, but saw this rejected immediately by the Reds, as Jurgen Klopp‘s side look to recoup much of their £32.5 million outlay.
With Alan Pardew keen to add a top-level option to lead his attack for 2016/17 and beyond, Palace are now said to have submitted an improved offer.
According to reports including the Express‘ Paul Joyce and the Guardian‘s Dominic Fifield, this could be worth up to £31.5 million.
Their initial offer is said to be around £27 million, with add-ons based on appearances and on-field success potentially lifting this to a club-record fee.
While it remains unclear whether Liverpool would look to secure more money up front, Benteke’s move to Selhurst Park looks to be an inevitability at this stage.
The Belgium international is said to be willing to join Pardew’s push for European football, with personal terms not thought to be an issue.
Benteke was reported to be earning £120,000 a week at Liverpool, suggesting Palace are willing to go big to inject quality to their attack this summer.
The 25-year-old’s move to Merseyside from Aston Villa proved to be an ill-fated one, particularly following Klopp’s arrival in October, hampering Benteke’s first-team prospects.
Signing Sadio Mane from Southampton for £30 million at the end of June served to seal Benteke’s fate, likely dropping behind the Senegalese in Klopp’s pecking order.
Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings are believed to be the German’s primary centre-forward options for 2016/17, with Mane and Roberto Firmino both able to deputise in the role.
For Liverpool securing a £31.5 million should be considered a major positive, recouping the majority of their outlay and cancelling out the big-money fee sanctioned to sign Mane.
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