Liverpool Transfer News: Latest on Christian Benteke, Asier Illarramendi Rumours

Liverpool could be forced to wait and see if their rivals make a move for Christian Benteke before they can secure his signature.

According to Neil Moxley of the Mirror, Benteke will hold out for a top-four club to provide him with the opportunity of playing in the Champions League, despite Liverpool having activated his £32.5 million release clause.

The prospect of signing the Belgian has divided Liverpool supporters, despite his impressive goalscoring record.

Benteke scored 15 goals in all competitions last season, the majority of which came in the latter half of the campaign as he recovered from injury.

Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood recently spoke of his hope that Benteke will stay at the club. Per the Daily Mail's Tom Bellwood, he said: "I’m confident that in my mind he’s a huge part of next season. He’s going to be very important for us."

However, the Mirror's John Cross believes his transfer would represent good business for both Villa and Liverpool:

Liverpool are in desperate need of firepower after the sale of Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli's failure to have a positive impact on the team.

While the signings of Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings are encouraging, a proven, prolific goalscorer is what they still lack if they wish to qualify for the Champions League once more.

Benteke is certainly that, but he may not fit into Brendan Rodgers' quick, passing style.

Further, the 24-year-old's greatest strength is his power in the air:

Unless a change of style is on the cards, the Reds won't be able to make the most of Benteke. As ESPN's Alex Shaw noted on Twitter, Liverpool made the joint fewest crosses of any Premier League team last season.

With that being the case, the Reds supporters' hesitation at spending over £30 million on the striker becomes far more understandable.

Both Arsenal and Manchester United are in the market for a new striker so a move to either could be a possibility, but it seems Anfield remains the most likely destination for Benteke, rightly or wrongly.

Liverpool Target Asier Illarramendi

According to Liam Corless of the Mirror, Fichajes is reporting that Liverpool "are willing offer up to €20 million [£13.8 million] to land Real Madrid's midfield misfit Asier Illarramendi."

The 25-year-old is firmly considered a back-up player at the Bernabeu and new manager Rafa Benitez could be willing to allow the Spaniard to leave, per the above report.

The defensive midfielder is often used from the bench to help add solidity in the latter stages of games where Real have taken the lead.

Illarramendi made 26 appearances as a substitute in all competitions last season, with the Guardian's Sid Lowe illustrating the Spaniard is now famous for coming on as a sub.

As Liverpool already boast the likes of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Emre Can and Joe Allen in central midfield, Illarramendi would face some competition for a starting berth at Anfield.

Working in his favour is his comfort in possession, which would allow him to slot in well with Rodgers' style.

Per Squawka, the midfielder maintained a passing accuracy of 91 per cent in La Liga last season, while WhoScored noted his success in the Champions League.

Liverpool have made some strong strides in the transfer market already this summer, and Illarramendi would represent a competent and reliable acquisition.

However, he is far from the replacement for Steven Gerrard the Reds need. If they are to achieve their top-four ambitions, a marquee signing in central midfield is still required.