Arsenal are contemplating a bid for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, after the midlands based club confirmed the Belgian striker has officially made a request for a summer transfer, and that they will address the matter if and when an appropriate offer is tabled by any clubs.
Arsene Wenger has been desperate to push multiple transfer deals over the line, and it is proving a daunting task for the club to execute big deals which involve various clauses and terms. Although the club chief executive claimed earlier this summer that Wenger will be given surplus funds to clinch big deals, the club will not spend all the money on one player. However, that would exactly be the goal of the club with which they negotiate a deal for a signing. Clubs all over Europe have realized that the only two ways to collect surplus funds, are having a billionaire owner, or squeeze every penny for their best players.
That would certainly not be the case with Benteke, who still has three years remaining on his current contract with Villa. The striker had been brought in as a decent striker, but quickly gained the reputation of one of the most lethal strikers in the Barclays Premier League. A genuine hard worker, Benteke is a through-and-through striker who uses his pace and strength to fend off defenders. His finishing technique is composed and confident, and that is the reason why the 22-year old managed to bag 19 Premier League goals last season, and a big reason for the Villa’s survival in the top flight.
The Belgian has played most of his career in his native land, where he started off as a youth academy player at Genk in 2006. He went on to sign a professional contract with the club in 2007, but appearances for the club were limited to 10 in his first two seasons. The striker was on the move, when Standard Liege signed him in 2009. After just two seasons at the club, he made a return to Genk, and was eventually signed by Villa in the summer of 2012.
According to London Evening Standard, Aston Vill addressed the Benteke sitation via an official statement. The club said, “For clarity’s sake, however, he had already been given extra time off until July 18 and was reminded that there are three years remaining on his contract, we consider him to be a Villa player and expect that he will be with us for the 2013-14 season.”
“Having received his transfer request, we have also informed him that should we receive an offer within an appropriate timeframe during pre-season which meets our valuation we would act upon it. But he will remain a Villa player should this not happen.”
So if Arsenal want Benteke it looks like they will have to do business with a resolute Aston Villa who clearly value the Belgian striker very highly plus they will have to fend off interest from Tottenham and Chelsea (who are being linked with as many players as Arsenal are).