Liverpool desperate for Villa hotshot to ease striker crisis
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Having seen his mainline striker sidelined yet again, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has no choice but to intensify his interest in Aston Villa’s top scorer Christian Benteke.
Reports differ on the exact length of time, but Daniel Sturridge’s latest visit to the operating theatre to help cure a hip problem looks set to leave the stricken forward out of match action until October at least.
The strain of Sturridge’s last lengthy absence, throughout the entirety of autumn, was so obviously felt on the pitch that Liverpool really are in dire straits where strikers are concerned.
With shortlists sure to be scribbled in pencil at least, latest rumours place Villa’s Benteke as one name that may be inked in indelible marker.
Recently crowned Premier League Player of the Month, the prolific Belgian has been busy restoring his endangered reputation as a supreme goal grabber.
Since Tim Sherwood picked Villa off the canvas in mid-February, the centre-forward has rekindled his love affair with the onion bag, notching 11 times in his last nine outings in claret and blue.
A regular scorer against Liverpool in recent seasons too, Rodgers knows all about his threat, with Benteke’s second of the current season going a long way to ending the Merseysiders’ hopes of lifting the FA Cup.
Although the player has implied his willingness to remain a Villan into next season at least, a concerted effort on Liverpool’s behalf to capture him may alter his opinion.
It was only the summer before last that Benteke was making noises about outgrowing the Villa Park outfit after just one breakthrough season in English football.
With Memphis Depay swerving Anfield for Old Trafford already, tying down a name such as Benteke would be a massive statement of intent from Rodgers as summer approaches.
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