Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Christian Benteke is not his first choice striker due to his lack of form. Liverpool had paid a whopping £32.5 million to get their hands on the Aston Villa striker. However, this investment did not turn out that well as the striker has failed to impress the manager and the fans at Anfield.
The 25-year-old Belgian beast striker is Liverpool’s leading goal scorer this season with 7 goals to his tally but lately, there has been a huge dip in his form. He has not managed to hit the net since December, 30. Since the arrival of the new manager, Benteke has not demonstrated any level of finesse and class which was expected of him before his arrival. And this is the exact reason why Klopp does not give him the nod in the starting 11.
In a recent press conference, Klopp was quoted saying, “Christian wasn’t in the best moment of his career four or five weeks ago. This is not a pre-season. It is a tournament and you have to win all the time. The only thing a player can do in a situation like this, not just Christian, is first of all accept the situation”. The manager clearly hinting that he is not impressed with the Belgian striker.
Klopp will ring mass changes at Anfield this summer, as he aims to turn Liverpool back into serious Premier League players. And as per experts, Benteke is most certain to leave Anfield. Here are the 3 possible destinations where he could be heading this summer.
Chinese Football League
Yes, you heard it right. Christian Benteke was heavily linked to a move to the Chinese Premiere League at a hefty sum during the January transfer window. Although the speculations were turned down, there is a lot of possibility of this move happening in the summer window.
Chelsea FC
The London side had made an approach for the Belgian in the January window as Diego Costa and the gang had failed in the goal-scoring department. Chelsea are known to have a lot of depth in their squad and this move could benefit both the sides.
Sunderland FC
The Stadium of light in another possible destination for Benteke as the side has not managed to show the firepower up front and are in dire need of a quality striker. With Jermaine Defoe failing to impress, the Black Cats might seek refuge in the Belgian.