Besiktas admit Benteke deal is ´complicated´

Besiktas chairman Fikret Orman has confirmed the club are monitoring Christian Benteke’s situation at Liverpool but admits the finances involved make a deal “complicated”.

Benteke has not played a single minute in the Reds’ pre-season programme and is expected to leave Anfield before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

The stumbling block is the fee Liverpool would command for a player they signed for £32.5million last July.

Orman told reporters: “Christian Benteke is a very good footballer and we would like to see him at Besiktas but Liverpool spent a lot of money signing him so it’s a bit complicated for us in that sense.”

Besiktas have also been linked with a number of other strikers, including Mario Gomez, Samuel Eto’o and Mario Balotelli.

Gomez spent last season on loan at the Vodafone Arena but has ruled out a return due to safety reasons.

Orman said: “Mario Gomez has his reasons, political reasons.

“If he wants to come to Besiktas, he should say so and we can convince him that Turkey is safe. We are not having talks with Mario as of now. I will not make Besiktas chase anybody.”

He added: “Samuel Eto’o wanted to play for Besiktas but Antalyaspor’s demands were off the charts. They wanted money and Kerim Frei. We quit our intention of signing Eto’o.

“Mario Balotelli is a star but he’s also a bit problematic. We’re not signing him.

“We have two or three alternatives for the striker position. We ideally want to sign a striker on loan.”