Could Aston Villa re-sign Christian Benteke?
Could former Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke make a shock return to the club?
Bookies Ladbrokes are offering odds of 12/1 that the Belgian international makes the move, after Crystal Palace reportedly put him up for sale.
The Mirror report Crystal Palace want to cash in on Benteke despite signing him for £30 million in the summer, with new manager Sam Allardyce keen to use the funds to overhaul his squad.
Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke
Benteke has scored eight goals in 18 games since his move from Liverpool, and it is unclear whether he would be willing to join a Championship club, even despite his previous ties to Villa.
When he left the club 18 months ago for Liverpool his sights were set more on the Champions League, but he fell out of favour after Brendan Rodgers was sacked.
Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke (L) and Cardiff City’s Ben Turner in action
Villa were relegated 12 months later, but have since been taken over by wealthy Chinese businessman Tony Xia.
He has already made big money moves to sign Ross McCormack and Jonathan Kodjia, but Benteke would transform their options and put the club right back in the promotion hunt.
It is certainly a long shot, but Villa fans are hopeful Xia can somehow get it done.
Here is a look at the reaction via Twitter to the reports…
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