Former Liverpool flop striker Christian Benteke reportedly rejected a £45 million bid from an unnamed Chinese Super League club ahead of his transfer to Crystal Palace FC last month.

The Daily Express published the said report saying that the 25-year-old Zaire-born Belgian "turned down a £45 million offer from the Chinese Super League before joining Crystal Palace at the start of this season" in a £32 million deal on Aug. 20 following a forgettable year at the Anfield last term.

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The report mentioned that "a Chinese Super League club made a £45 million bid for Benteke in January, by which time his move to Anfield had turned sour, but he rejected the offer because he wanted to stay in one of the top European leagues".

Benteke was acquired by the Reds last summer from Aston Villa for a transfer fee of £32.5 million, which made him the second most expensive transfer of the club at that time.

However, the Belgium international did not meet expectations at the Anfield last season as he only scored nine goals in 29 English top flight games. In a total of 42 games in all competitions for Liverpool, Benteke had only netted 10 times, a clear drop of form from the 49 goals in 101 games for the Villans during the previous three seasons.

The arrival of head coach Jürgen Klopp midway through the term did nothing to improve his place and opportunities in the squad and so it became apparently clear that he will eventually exit the club this summer.

The subsequent exit came 10 days before the recent summer transfer window closed when the Eagles paid the Merseyside outfit an initial £27 million with an additional £5 million later in the season, via Tribal Football.

Benteke was the fourth big-name player sold by Klopp during the summer as Martin Skrtel, Joe Allen, and Mario Balotelli were also "shown the exit door" to Fenerbahçe, Stoke City, and Nice respectively.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League rumors, Christian Benteke, Liverpool FC, Crystal Palace FC