Dean Smith’s Aston Villa side are thought to have money to spend, and Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke is said to be available.
The door may just be opening for Aston Villa to bring back Christian Benteke.
Dean Smith’s side have made no secret of the fact that they have funds to spend in January, and a move for Benteke may now just be possible.
Although negotiations will still have to be done, Villa may now have their best chance yet to bring the Belgian international back to Villa Park.
Benteke has just 18 months left on his contract at Palace, and the Eagles are determined to maximise his value.
Roy Hodgson’s side does not appear to want to use Benteke regularly himself, so his value is highly unlikely to increase from sitting on the bench at Selhurst Park.
However, if Benteke was to move to Villa and start scoring again, he could begin to attract attention.
Palace would have to subsidise Benteke’s wages for Smith’s side to take the target-man, but if they want to have a chance of getting some money back for the forward, that could be a small sacrifice to make.
Benteke, himself, would likely welcome a move back to Villa, as he was so successful there before.
The powerful forward’s confidence looks to be very low right now, after a lengthy spell of failing to hit the back of the net.
And if Villa could get Benteke back to his best then it could suit all parties involved in the deal.
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