Reports that Crystal Palace could sell striker Christian Benteke have prompted a big response among fans of Championship Aston Villa.
The gasp from the claret and blue half of Birmingham could almost be heard across the UK when speculation emerged that Christian Benteke could leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season.
Although Palace boss Roy Hodgson has since played down suggestions that the Belgian striker has been put up for sale, The Mail reports that Palace will indeed listen to offers in the summer for a player who cost them £27 million from Liverpool in 2016.
And Aston Villa fans have been taking to Twitter in their droves demanding that Benteke is brought back to the club where he scored 49 goals in 101 games before earning that £32.5 million transfer to Liverpool three years ago.
Obviously, a return to Villa Park would only be possible for Benteke if Steve Bruce leads the Midlands giants to promotion, and thereby frees them from the shackles of Financial Fair Play which restricted them to cut-price deals and loans in the Championship.
But perhaps the Villa fans should not be getting ahead of themselves. Benteke is enduring the worst season of his career after all, and it may be a little ambitious to suggest moving back to Villa Park would see him immediately rediscover the golden touch of his first spell.
Benteke has scored just twice in 27 Premier League games in 2017/18 and looks a shadow of his former prolific self.
So Villa should not let their heart rule their head if they are promoted this summer.
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