Spurs Transfer News: Christian Benteke Wants Tottenham Move?
Daily Mail. The 22-year-old handed in a transfer request at the beginning of the week, forcing his club into making him available - but they will stick to their asking price of £25 million and will not be bullied into a sale. It is expected that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will attempt to force through a move just as the transfer window is about to slam shut at the end of August, meaning this saga has some way left to run yet. But Villa are under no pressure to sell and the Belgian international still has three years remaining on the four-year deal he signed last summer when he arrived from Genk. Though Spurs may well by Benteke's preferred destination this summer, that does not necessarily mean London rivals Chelsea are out of the running. According to the report, Villa would rather do business with the Blues rather than the Lilywhites, but only if the Europa League champions meet their asking price for the striker, who last season finished as the fourth-highest goalscorer in the Premier League. That is because there would be the possibility of a player-plus-cash deal involving highly-rated Romelu Lukaku, an obvious make-weight in the transfer. But Benteke's heart appears to be set on White Hart Lane, mainly because he would be given top billing at the club, while at Stamford Bridge he would have to compete for places with Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and new acquisition Andre Schurrle.