Christian Benteke has warned Jurgen Klopp that he may be forced to quit Liverpool this summer.
Since his £32 million arrival from Aston Villa last summer, Benteke has failed to live up to expectations during a paltry debut season with the Reds, in which he scored just 10 goals.
With the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings all comfortably ahead of him in the Anfield pecking order, the Belgium international’s prospects appear increasingly bleak.
And Benteke, 25, has now issued an ultimatum to Klopp that he may be forced to consider options elsewhere unless he is in the Liverpool manager’s plans.
He said: “At 25 years old, I’m neither old nor young but it’s important to play.
“I still have a contract at Liverpool and I’d like to stay there, if I remain in the coach’s plans.
“If that’s not the case, it will become difficult to stay. I’ll think about if after the Euros.”
Klopp previously revealed that he had targeted Benteke during his time in charge at Borussia Dortmund, but that relationship has not been rekindled during the German’s Anfield reign.
“I knew that if I had mixed performances I would be criticised – that’s what happened,” the striker added.
“When he arrived, I saw that I wasn’t in his plans. That was frustrating because I knew that during my first season at Aston Villa he wanted me.
“But we had several discussions together. I respect and I understand his decisions.”