Christian Benteke: Aston Villa striker set for Liverpool medical

   

Striker Christian Benteke is due to have a medical at Liverpool after they reached an agreement with Aston Villa over his £32.5m transfer.

The Reds' club doctor will now travel to the UK from the team's tour of Australia to complete Benteke's medical in the next 48 hours.

However, the 24-year-old Belgium international will not join up with his new team-mates on the tour.

Benteke joined Villa from Genk in 2012 for £7m, scoring 49 goals in 101 games.

Liverpool made a move for the striker after receiving funds from the£49m sale of Raheem Sterling to Premier League rivals Manchester City.

Benteke, who still has two years left on his Villa contract, scored 12 goals in 12 games last season to help Tim Sherwood's side avoid relegation from the top flight.

Juan Mata: Manchester United midfielder knew of rebuilding plan

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has said he was told about the size of the club's rebuilding task before he joined in January 2014.

United have not won a trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement two years ago and a seventh-place finish in 2014 is their worst in the Premier League.

Ten players have joined since Mata's switch for a then club-record £37.1m  under Ferguson's successor David Moyes.

"They told me 'you are very important, you are one of the first'," Mata said.

The Old Trafford club completed the double signing of Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and France international Morgan Schneiderlin on 13 July.

Schneiderlin scored five minutes into his first United appearance with the only goal against Club America on the tour of the United States.

"I knew the club was going to have these kind of signings," Mata said.

The total amount spent on the 10 players is £228.1m, a figure which does not include the £6m loan fee for striker Radamel Falcao, who has since joined Chelsea.

Mata, who has scored 16 goals in 50 competitive games for United, added: "We know there is still a lot of work to do.

"It's not just about bringing good players in. It's about playing well and winning trophies."

Man Utd's 10 signings since Mata's arrival
Luke Shaw (from Southampton) £27m	Ander Herrera (from Athletic Bilbao) £29m
Daley Blind (from Ajax) £13.8m	Marcus Rojo (from Sporting Lisbon) £16m
Angel Di Maria (from Real Madrid) £59.7m	Victor Valdes (unattached) Free
Memphis Depay (from PSV Eindhoven) £31m	Matteo Darmian (from Torino) £12.7m
Morgan Schneiderlin (from Southampton) £25m	Bastian Schweinsteiger (from Bayern Munich) £14.4m