Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Denis Cheryshev and Christian Benteke Rumours

Liverpool’s summer spending shows no sign of stopping, with reports claiming the Reds have lodged a £22 million bid for Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev.

That’s according to Neil Moxey of the Sunday People (h/t the Daily Mirror), who claimed that Los Blancos are “considering” the offer. The piece states that the winger is “surplus” at the Santiago Bernabeu, and although Villarreal are keen to take the player on loan for a second successive season, Real would prefer to sell the 24-year-old.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell recently claimed that Cheryshev would be one of the breakout players for Real this season:

He certainly has the talent to thrive in the Spanish top flight. Cheryshev was superb for Villarreal on the left flank last season, showcasing his array of talents. As we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, the Russia international is very much an all-rounder:

According to Moxey, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to bring in Cheryshev before a deal is agreed to sell wantaway forward Raheem Sterling. The Liverpool manager also wants to allow young winger Jordon Ibe the chance to go out on loan again so he can secure some crucial first-team football.

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Earlier in the year, Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett talked up Cheryshev as a potential Reds target:

While Cheryshev is a player of undoubted class, £22 million does seem excessive. Sure, he impressed at Villarreal last season, but the winger still has rough edges to his game and has so far only performed to his full potential for one campaign.

If Sterling is to leave, Liverpool will need a direct wide player to complement the intricate abilities of midfielders such as Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. If Rodgers has £22 million to spend on a player to fill the void, there is much better value out there, and he should be cautious about splashing it all on the Russian.

Manchester United Chasing Christian Benteke

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Liverpool could face competition from Manchester United in their reported pursuit of Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, with the Sun (h/t Jack Wilson of the Daily Star) claiming the Red Devils would be willing to offer £10 million more for the Belgium international.

The piece claims that United boss Louis van Gaal is ready to up the ante in the chase for the Villa star, with Radamel Falcao gone and rumours hotting up over Robin van Persie's potential departure. Whereas the Reds have been unwilling to meet the £32.5 million release clause in Benteke’s contract, it’s said that their great rivals would.

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Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe ran the rule over some reported targets at the sharp end of the pitch for the Red Devils:

Benteke would add something completely different to the United attack. Toward the back end of last season, he was outstanding for the Midlands club, showcasing stunning aerial ability, exceptional hold-up play and a ruthless composure in front of goal.

As we can see here, courtesy of Squawka, the striker finished the 2014-15 campaign in style:

The reported pursuit of Benteke has been met with mixed views from Liverpool supporters. While there is no disputing he’s an excellent goalscorer and a tremendous target man, he doesn’t seem a natural fit for Rodgers’ principles. The Belgian needs to be the focal point of the attack, and given the offensive options in Liverpool’s squad, that role would be unlikely.

United were happy to play direct football at times last season, and although Benteke may have to share some of the attacking responsibility around, he’d thrive in that kind of setup. If the Red Devils do move to meet the player’s release clause, we’ll soon see just how keen Rodgers is on bringing the 24-year-old to Merseyside.