---
title: "Chelsea lining up audacious raid on £32m Liverpool star after balking at £65m countryman"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/chelsea-lining-up-audacious-raid-on-32m-liverpool-star-after-balking-at-65m-countryman/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Jonny Gorrie"
section: "Chelsea Football Club"
published: "2016-06-03T18:00:27Z"
modified: "2016-06-03T18:00:27Z"
---

# Chelsea lining up audacious raid on £32m Liverpool star after balking at £65m countryman

![Christian Benteke](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/4694603.jpg)

**As the punters in the Transfer Tavern gear up for proverbial silly season, both the Chelsea and Liverpool fans propping up the bar this evening have been shocked at the latest tidbit to be churned out of the old mill.**

That’s because, according to [the Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/article4750680.ece), the Blues are lining up a shock raid on the Merseyside giants for £32m flop Christian Benteke this summer.

While a blockbuster move for Romelu Lukaku has been strongly [mooted](https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/romelu-lukaku-to-chelsea-blues-confident-of-signing-65m-striker-as-he-favours-stamford-bridge-return-a3254386.html) for a number of months now, the reported [£65m](https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/romelu-lukaku-to-chelsea-blues-confident-of-signing-65m-striker-as-he-favours-stamford-bridge-return-a3254386.html) price tag could prove to be an issue.

With doubts about the future of Diego Costa and both Alexandre Pato and Radamel Falcao, incoming boss Antonio Conte is [believed](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/article4750680.ece) to be eager to add extra firepower to his squad.

Considering that, Belgian forward Benteke is [understood](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/article4750680.ece) to have emerged as a shock target for the West London giant after a miserable spell at Anfield.

He joined the Reds last summer in a huge £32m deal from Aston Villa, though has failed to wholly convince he can fit into the mould under Jurgen Klopp.

A forward in the mould of Chelsea strikers in days gone by, the 25-year old can act as a target man to lead the line, while proving an effective outlet to the club’s plethora of technicians.

**Would Benteke be a natural fit at Chelsea? Surely he’s not become a bad player overnight?**