Although Turkish champions Besiktas continue to hold a very public interest in taking Liverpool striker Christian Benteke to the Super Lig before the transfer window closes, as expected, Crystal Palace came in with a renewed bid for the Belgian, but it was promptly rejected by the Reds.
Holding out for somewhere in the region of £30mil up-front, the Eagles once again fell short with a guaranteed payment of £23mil and an additional £7mil in performance and appearance related add-ons not enough to tempt to Anfield outfit in to doing business. Flush with cash after selling Yannick Bolasie to Everton earlier in the week, Palace are expected to make another approach, though they could begin to consider alternative targets with former Liverpool man and current West Ham United forward Andy Carroll reportedly on their radar.
And, as we look to get rid of one player who arrived with a massive price tag, there’s another just bedding in with Sadio Mane looking one of the boys after opening his Liverpool account with a spectacular solo goal against Arsenal on Sunday. The Senegalese international is the latest in a string of former Southampton players to end up on Merseyside and though it took the likes of Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren time to find their feet with similar expectations weighing them down, the 24-year old has hit the ground running.
“I am very happy to be at Liverpool,” he told the Liverpool ECHO after playing a massive role in beating the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium. “As for the transfer fee it’s not a thing that is in my head,” said Mane, dismissing any talk of money weighing heavy on his head. “The most important thing is to give everything and be the best on the pitch. I am really happy to score my first Premier League goal for Liverpool,” added the Senegal striker. “I hope I will continue to find pleasure and give pleasure on the pitch too.”
