West Ham appear to have cooled their interest in Liverpool striker Christian Benteke.
According to The Mirror, West Ham United did make an approach for Liverpool striker Christian Benteke – but he’s now slipped down their transfer wish list.
The Hammers are in the market for a new striker this summer, with manager Slaven Bilic keen to bring in a consistent goalscorer having seen Andy Carroll struggle with fitness problems, whilst Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia failed to prove they can find the net on a regular basis.
A whole host of strikers have been heavily linked with moves to the Olympic Stadium, but West Ham so far don’t appear to be close to signing a new centre forward.
Now, The Mirror report that West Ham did in fact made an approach to Liverpool for Christian Benteke – only for them to seemingly cool their interest.
It’s claimed that whilst the Hammers were in contact about signing Benteke, the Belgian target man has now slipped down West Ham’s transfer wish list, and may no longer be a priority for Bilic and West Ham.
Benteke, 25, had made a real name for himself at Aston Villa with 49 goals in 101 games, earning a huge move to Liverpool last summer, despite question marks surrounding how he would fit into Brendan Rodgers’ system at Anfield.
Whether under Rodgers or Jurgen Klopp, Benteke has flattered to deceive on Merseyside, scoring just ten goals in 42 games as he now sits behind the likes of Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi in the pecking order.
A summer exit wouldn’t be a surprise for Benteke, but for whatever reason, West Ham appear to be taking a step back from the race to sign him – and it remains to be seen whether they will make the 6ft 3in striker a priority once again.
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