Liverpool Transfer News: Christian Benteke Release Clause Revealed, Top Rumours

Liverpool have been given a boost in their pursuit of Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke after it was revealed the Belgian has a buy-out clause in his contract.

The Reds finished sixth in this season's Premier League table—25 points back from champions Chelsea—and were hamstrung by a lack of goals and the poor form of their front men.

Boss Brendan Rodgers is in desperate need of a proven goalscorer in attack, and Benteke is reportedly a realistic target for the summer transfer window. His buy-out clause stands at an affordable £32.5 million, per Metro's Jamie Sanderson.

Villa boss Tim Sherwood has revealed the Birmingham outfit will be powerless to keep hold of their star striker should anyone meet the clause, per Dave Kidd in the Mirror:

"There’s a buy-out clause in his contract so it would be impossible for us to stop him if he wanted to go but someone has got to meet that buy-out clause and if they don’t, then it’s not even going to be considered because we don’t want to lose him."

Benteke will hope to be on the scoresheet as Villa face Arsenal in Saturday's FA Cup final following 12 goals in as many appearances since Sherwood's instalment as manager at the club.

Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

The 24-year-old has been consistently excellent for Villa since arriving from Genk in 2012, and Sherwood is unsurprisingly eager to keep him at Villa Park for at least one more season.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss believes Benteke could benefit from staying at Villa for another year ahead of the European Championships in 2016, after which he could get a move to Real Madrid, per Kidd:

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I don’t think he should be moving clubs the year before a European Championship. The European Championship is a huge stage and a tournament, where you feel Belgium will be one of the favourites to win it—and playing for Aston Villa hasn't hindered him being first choice for Belgium. So to stay here and score at the ratio he’s been scoring at since I took over, if he ends up with 25 or 30 goals, then goes to the Euros and has a great championship, then he is probably going to be playing for Real Madrid. If he scores 30 goals here next season, he can go the biggest club in the world—and the kid is that good. 

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The lure of Liverpool will obviously be strong for Benteke given the Merseyside club's storied history, and Rodgers would be well advised to go after him as the likes of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert were dire in front of goal last season.

However, Benteke may do well to heed Sherwood's advice, as he will not necessarily flourish in Rodgers' setup, per Belgian football writer Kristof Terreur:

The fact that Sherwood admitted that Benteke could be on his way out of Villa this summer perhaps points to his resignation that he is indeed set to lose his star man.

Liverpool seems his most likely destination, and at £32.5 million, it would be a terrific piece of business given Benteke's proven quality in English football.

Milner Move Likely, Dzeko Challenge

Liverpool look set for big changes this summer as they look to challenge for the title once again. Long-term skipper Steven Gerrard is already on his way out of Anfield with others set to follow, per Bleacher Report's Alex Dimond:

Rodgers needs to add quality across the positions, and Manchester City midfielder James Milner is reportedly set for a free-transfer switch to Merseyside, per the Express (h/t Rhys Turrell in the Daily Star). 

Burnley striker Danny Ings is also out of contract in June and set to leave Turf Moor, with the Englishman reportedly favouring a move to Liverpool rather than Tottenham, per Mark Ogden in the Telegraph.

With Ings being under 24 years old, Burnley are entitled to compensation for the player despite his contract expiring.

Spurs are reportedly prepared to pay a whopping £12 million for the 22-year-old, per Sky Sports News HQ, potentially upsetting Liverpool's pursuit of the forward:

The Reds face similar competition for another likely departing striker, Manchester City's Edin Dzeko.

Dzeko is a target for the Reds, but Serie A side Roma are also reportedly interested, per the Mirror's David Anderson, and the Italian club's participation in the Champions League next season could be a deciding factor for the Bosnian.

Rodgers faces a key summer in his bid to prove that he has what it takes to cut it at Liverpool having been criticised in the past for his transfer policy.

Benteke must surely be the top target as a lack of goals has been a significant problem for Liverpool of late, but Milner could also be a terrific buy given his experience and versatility.