Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are competing to sign striker Christian Benteke from Aston Villa.
The 24-year-old, who scored 13 Premier League goals last season, has a £32.5 million release clause. Tottenham are believed to only be looking at players with a maximum price of £15 million and therefore may not be able to afford the striker.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to offer striker Emmanuel Adebayor in a player-plus cash deal in the hopes of convincing Tim Sherwood to sell Benteke. Sherwood previously worked with Adebayor at White Hart Lane, where the 31-year-old scored 14 goals in 25 games for Tottenham, and he may be open to working with him again.
However, Adebayor’s wages are reportedly over £100,000 a week, much higher than Villa’s top earners, making the deal unlikely.
Additionally, Benteke is understood to be wary of another approach from Tottenham after the club tried to buy him in 2013. Instead, he prefers a move to Liverpool.
Liverpool are set to offer Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini for the Belgian, as manager Brendan Rodgers is desperate to buy a proven goalscorer to strengthen their attack.
And with Manchester City expected to place another bid for Raheem Sterling at any moment, Liverpool may soon have the funds to meet the striker’s release clause.
If the Reds beat Tottenham to sign Benteke, the most likely scenario, then Pochettino will likely target Juventus’ Fernando Llorente. However, as the north London side are also looking to make up for a shortage of consistent strikers this summer, Benteke remains their best option.
