Spurs desperate to land Belgian striker.
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Tottenham have made the signing of Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke one of their top priorities this summer, and are preparing a £20million bid for the Belgian, according to the Sunday Mirror.
They may also face competition from North London rivals Arsenal for the 22-year-old’s signature, as the summer signing from Genk has had such an impressive debut season in the Premier League.
Benteke has 23 goals in all competitions for Villa despite their battle with relegation for most of the season. He is now widely tipped to move on to bigger things, and the club could make a big profit on the £7million they paid for him last summer.
Spurs see him as an ideal replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor, who is likely to leave the club after a poor season in front of goal. Jermain Defoe has also struggled for form and Andre Villas-Boas knows his side need to be less reliant on star player Gareth Bale for goals – especially if they lose the in-demand Welsh winger to Real Madrid.
Arsenal are also a little short upfront following last summer’s shock sale of Robin van Persie to Manchester United. Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski were brought in to replace the Dutchman, but have struggled for consistency this year, and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger would like Benteke as an extra option upfront.
Spurs, however, are more likely to pay the big transfer fee that Villa would demand for their star player.