It has been officially confirmed that Belgian striker Christian Benteke has made the move from the Midlands to Merseyside, after Liverpool triggered the £32.5m release clause that Aston Villa slapped on the towering frontman.
This move comes despite apparent late interest from Manchester United and the hefty price tag that appeared to have initially put off Liverpool towards the start of the transfer window.
The player is likely to make his debut against Helsinki on August 1, according to Paul Joyce of The Express.
Once the clause was triggered by the Reds, Benteke was subject to a medical and had to discuss personal terms with the club. We now know that neither became an obstacle for the Belgian international. He’s now officially a Liverpool player.
Benteke becomes the latest signing in what has become a busy window for the club, although he is the most expensive thus far, surpassing Roberto Firmino.
The sale of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City for a fee in the region of £49m seems to have triggered Liverpool’s move for the 24-year old striker, with much of the transfer fee being handed to Aston Villa in return for the service of the man who has scored seven times for his country.
In the 2014-15 season, Benteke appeared in 28 Premier League games, scoring 13 goals. In total for Villa, the Belgian played in 101 competitive matches (all competitions) and graced the scoresheet on 49 occasions – a strike rate of almost one in every two games.
