Christan Benteke- Aston Villa
The race for Aston Villa’s Christan Benteke has hoted up in recent days, with the revelation that Benteke has handed in a transfer request at Villa Park. The striker had a fantastic debut season in the Premier League, scoring 19 league goals that helped Villa stay in England’s top flight when at times it looked like they might be relegated. Even before the season ended, many thought that Benteke would leave the Birmingham based club for a team nearer the top end of the Premier League.
That speculation has only mounted since he submitted his transfer request to manager Paul Lambert, with many pundits speculating about where the Belgian international will be playing next season. One possible destination is Liverpool, with Brendan Rodgers eager to add a quality goal scorer to his squad for next season. Liverpool struggled to score enough goals last season, relying to much on Luis Suarez and Rodgers is eager to address that problem this summer. There is the possibility that Suarez could leave Anfield this summer, with Arsenal and Real Madrid a possible destination, so Benteke maybe seen as a replacement for Suarez by Rodgers, although the Welsh manager would dearly love to partner the two together next season. However, plenty of other teams are interested in Benteke, with Tottenham and Chelsea thought to be front runners for his signature.
The Belgian striker is thought to be eyeing up a move to Spurs but could be persuaded that his future lies at Anfield by Rodgers. Benteke would get the first team football that he craves and their is also the possibility of Liverpool qualifying for the Champions League next season. Aston Villa are currently demanding £25 million for Benteke, a price which Liverpool are unlikely to pay. Villa will do everything to keep the striker at the club next season and putting a huge price tag on him will ward off interest. However, Liverpool may decide to wait until nearer the start of the season before making a move for Benteke, something which Spurs are also considering.