Sunderland’s new boss David Moyes is in need for transfers and the Scotsman has identified Liverpool misfit Christian Benteke as one of his prime targets. Benteke has no shortage of offers though and looked close to joining Crystal Palace last month after the Eagles reportedly agreed personal terms before the deal stalled. At this moment, it is being reported that Everton and Sunderland are the two clubs that are contesting with each other for his signature. While previously Crystal Palace agreed to pay the striker his £120,000 per week wages but failed to match Liverpool’s £30m asking price. With Liverpool, sticking to the valuation set, clubs would need to pay the full bounty on the player.
David Moyes knows all too well about the strengths of the big Belgian and what he can offer. With Sunderland keen on adding a striker this summer, they are willing to break their bank for him. Interestingly, Moyes’ former club Everton, now managed by Ronald Koeman is also ready to pay the amount for the striker but Liverpool would be very apprehensive about letting the player join their closest rivals which might just turn the tables in favour of Sunderland. The Black Cats only have Jermaine Defoe who shoulders the responsibility of scoring the goals and is heavily reliant on the Englishman. Adding a player of Benteke’s quality would not only make them prolific but would also give them a much-needed target man upfront. Having some pace and trickery on the wide positions in Khazri and Borini and Benteke can link up well with them as well.
Speaking about the club’s approach in the transfer market, Moyes said, “There’s no doubt we have to make signings and I believe we definitely will do. We were never off the phone last week. It was constant apart from the training to see what we could do. It was more to get the information before we made any actions. I think it’s well documented that we’ve only got one centre-forward really in Jermain Defoe – we’ve got others who can do the job at other times. But I would like to strengthen in most areas if it comes up.”
The fans would certainly be very excited with what the manager said and if the Black Cats needs to get rid of the cycle of battling relegation where they get sucked in every season then the team would need someone of the caliber and stature of Benteke up front. The situation is now pretty simple for Moyes, splash the cash and make the dash and you will end up with a big Belgian capable of scoring goals aplenty.
