According to The Sun (h/t Daily Mail), Crystal Palace are willing to offload experienced striker Christian Benteke.
The report also claims that the Eagles have slapped an £8million price tag in his head in a bid to revamp their attack next season. The lack of consistent goal-scorers saw Palace slip to a lowly 14th in the league rankings this season despite managing to stay in the top-flight.
Palace managed a mere 31 goals from 38 league games this term, suggesting that the side are in clear need of reinforcements in front of the goal.
Roy Hodgson’s side have in recent weeks been linked with Watford attacker Ismaila Sarr. With problems in attack clearly out in the open after this season’s dismal show, Palace are hopeful that Benteke’s departure will help them raise funds to sign the young Hornets star man.
Meanwhile, a former Liverpool striker, Benteke has undergone a major slip in form that has seen him score just six goals in the past three seasons for Palace. The 29-year-old was clearly one of the most inconsistent performers in the Eagles line-up this season, scoring just two goals despite making 24 league appearances.
Also, with 28-year-old Jordan Ayew overtaking him as the side’s first-choice striker in recent times, opportunities look even more limited for Benteke in the coming days.
Ayew, who arrived at Selhurst Park on a permanent basis from Swansea following his excellent loan spell with them last season, is currently the side’s top goalscorer in the league with nine to his name.
Apart from Ayew, Palace also have Englishman Conor Wickham as a back-up, meaning Benteke looks surplus to the club’s requirements at the moment.
Hence, they should not waste any time in offloading the out-of-favour Benteke as it will also save them a lot of time and money.
Given his form in recent times, it is clear that Benteke is a mere shadow of his past and holding onto him seems totally pointless. They could rather sell him and use that money to strengthen areas that need real improvement.
