Confirmed – 12 Goals 2 Assists In 26 Games Could Join Chelsea

Christian Benteke has been rumored to favor a move to Chelsea [Metro]. With injury problems surrounding Diego Costa, and the possible departures of Loïc Rémy and Didier Drogba, José Mourinho will be looking to add another striker this summer. Already with links to Antoine Griezmann, Edinson Cavani, Mauro Icardi, Paulo Dybala, Charlie Austin, and Douglas Costa, Mourinho is not short of options. The 24 year-old Belgian would cost Chelsea around £30million, quite expensive for a reserve player. Benteke has impressed after returning from his achilles tear last October, scoring 12 goals in 26 appearances. He had been previously linked to Chelsea, but his close friend and teammate Leandro Bacuna confirmed the rumors, stating…

“I live about one minute from (Benteke) and go around his place, we talk about his future a little bit, but we don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s going to be hard to hang onto him.”

Benteke has been heavily linked to Liverpool, and they are in more need of the striker than Chelsea. With Benteke’s good friends, and fellow Belgians, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea already, it shouldn’t be a problem to persuade him to sign to play at Stamford Bridge next season. But a £30million price tag seems expensive, especially if he is going to fill a role as a reserve. Benteke has also admitted that he is happy at Aston Villa because he plays, and at Chelsea he would not play. More reasonable options would be Queens Park Rangers Charlie Austin, or Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi, both would be millions cheaper and would be content playing behind Diego Costa.

Benteke is one of the best strikers in the Premier League, and he will attract interest from some of the best clubs this summer. It will be hard for Aston Villa to keep their star, especially if he receives an official offer from Chelsea or Liverpool. Tim Sherwood has had his hands full, trying to convince Benteke that Villa Park is his home, where he has flourished into a young star. Sherwood recently stated that “Maybe Aston Villa is a club they want to show loyalty to. Let’s hope they all follow suit. But I believe even if we didn’t make a signing we wouldn’t be in this position again,” after being asked about Fabian Delph signing a new 4 year-deal.

Benteke will be an interesting story this summer, and could be very exciting if he does sign for Chelsea.