Brendan Rodgers predicts Christian Benteke will 'prove to be a bargain'

Perhaps Brendan Rodgers' perception of a bargain is a little off the mark.

The Liverpool boss predicts Christian Benteke will eventually be a steal for the club after agreeing to meet his £32.5-million release clause to procure the Belgian forward's services from Aston Villa.

In his defense, however, just about every player looks like a bargain after the haul Liverpool received when they sold Raheem Sterling to Manchester City for £49 million.

"I think he'll prove to be a bargain for the club," Rodgers revealed on Liverpool's official website. "I really do. I've read and seen things about his game, but in the short period of time he's been in, I've been even more impressed.

"I've seen him up close now for three years, stood at the side of the field and watching this guy - not just his power and strength, but also his footballing ability."

Despite his blistering scoring pace to end last year's campaign and help Aston Villa secure safety, few would ever describe Benteke's price tag as a bargain considering his mighty struggles throughout much of the 2014-15 campaign.

The 24-year-old found the back of the net just two times from Oct. 2014 to March before putting together an impressive scoring run that saw him register 11 goals in his final 11 games.