Chelsea are planning a shock move for Liverpool striker Christian Benteke in January, according to reports. Leading English newspaper Sunday Mirror have revealed that the Belgian striker was the prime target for Jose Mourinho, before he joined Liverpool in the summer.
However, things are completely different for Chelsea at the moment after Mourinho was fired. Despite the sacking, things have not changed for the Blues as they still want to pursue Benteke’s signing, who is struggling to make an impact for his new club.
Liverpool Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Benteke is not his kind of player and Liverpool play a completely different brand of football than Benteke’s former club, Aston Villa.
Klopp was quoted saying: “There’s a difference between the way we play and Aston Villa play,” he said.
“If as a striker you don’t feel confident in the game because you aren’t getting enough crosses then you have to move more.
“As a striker you want to play five, six games in a row. At Villa when he was fit he played – but here everything is different.”
These words could very well sort out the mess for Chelsea and Benteke. Blues need a striker who can score goals while Liverpool can make room for a striker fit got Klopp’s philosophy. Benteke was dropped from Liverpool’s starting XI for their game against Watford while The Reds ended up losing 3-0.
Chelsea have named Guus Hiddink their temporary manager until the end of this season and he will be given enough budget to bring players with Benteke being their key target.