Aston Villa are yet to receive a single bid for Christian Benteke and they are still hopeful of him signing a new deal, reports Sky Sports.
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Chelsea to battle West Ham in fight to sign £12m Tottenham star
Liverpool and Chelsea have both been linked to the 24-year-old by the Daily Mirror, but it seems neither is willing to pay his £32.5 million release clause as of yet. This is despite the striker having scored an impressive 12 goals in the last 14 games of last season, and 49 in 101 matches over the last three campaigns for the Villans. He could now stay in the Midlands for another year.
Both of the supposedly interested sides are in need of a new forward for differing reasons. The Reds struggle to adapt to life without Luis Suarez last time round, a situation not helped by Daniel Sturridge missing most of the season with injuries. Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, and Fabio Borini all failed to live up to expectations, and a second go at replacing the Barcelona star is needed this summer.
Meanwhile the Blues are a striker short with the departure of Stamford Bridge legend Didier Drogba. Also, backup centre-forward Loic Remy has been linked with a move away by the Daily Mirror, which could leave Jose Mourinho with only Diego Costa and arguably 17-year-old Dominic Solanke in the position if it were to go through. Costa’s hamstring issues makes getting a new player for the role even more important.