£32.5m Liverpool striker gives Turkish giants the green light following talks

Adam Lallana

Liverpool striker Christian Benteke has given Turkish champions Besiktas the green light to start negotiations.

Fanatik report that preliminary talks between Besiktas and Benteke’s agent went well and that Liverpool are open to a loan move.

A source close to Besiktas told Turkish-football.com that the club has a five-man striker shortlist which includes Premier League forwards Loic Remy and Benteke.

Liverpool have turned down offers that have not matched their £32.5 million valuation – Echo – this summer but Besiktas are offering Benteke a temporary move to a club where he will gain Champions League group stage experience.

Besiktas underlined that Demba Ba and Mario Gomez were both on a downward trajectory before joining the club.

Ba joined from Chelsea in 2014 and ended up finishing the season as top scorer for Besiktas and playing  key role on their journey to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Gomez also finished last season as top scorer, played a key role in winning the league title and also earned his place back in the Germany national team scoring twice at Euro 2016 this summer.

Besiktas feel all parties involved would be set to benefit from Benteke joining on a loan deal over the summer.

Black Eagles head coach Senol Gunes is renowned for developing attacking talents. Burak Yilmaz made a name for himself under the experienced manager, Fernandao ended the season as goal king during his time in charge of Bursaspor and Gomez rediscovered his scoring boots last season.

See More
Fans react to Liverpool display against Barcelona on social media following 4-0 win