Aston Villa have demanded Liverpool trigger Christian Benteke‘s full buyout clause if the Merseyside club is to have any chance of signing the Belgian, according to reports.
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Benteke has been heavily linked with a move to the Reds in recent months, however Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood remains desperate to keep hold of the 24-year-old.
According to Daily Star, Villa have demanded Liverpool pay Benteke’s buyout clause of £32.5m and will not accept anything less if the Midlands club is to allow the former Genk man to leave the club.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to make Benteke his seventh summer signing, but Villa are playing hardball with their Premier League rivals.
However, The Guardian on Tuesday reported Benteke would tell Sherwood of his desire to leave the club and join Liverpool this summer when he reports for pre-season training on Wednesday.
Should Benteke make the demand, pressure will be placed on Villa to drop the asking price or risk carrying an unmotivated player into next season.
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