Aston Villa insist Christian Benteke will not be allowed to leave for anything less than the £32.5m release clause in his contract and are relaxed about holding onto a player who has made it clear he has no intention of signing a new deal and wishes to join a club competing at the top end of the table.
Benteke’s stance, outlined in talks earlier this month, means that Villa run the risk of the striker being disillusioned at Villa Park and having only 12 months left on his contract this time next year if he ends up staying for another season. His value would also depreciate as his deal runs down.
Villa, however, are confident that Tim Sherwood, the manager, can use the prospect of Benteke playing in the European Championship for Belgium next summer as a motivational tool to bring the best out of the 24-year-old at club level, and they also intend to stand firm on an exit clause that it is difficult to see anyone meeting.
While these are early days in terms of the summer transfer merry-go-round –the window does not officially open until 1 July – the reality at the moment is that Benteke’s prospects of a big-money move rest solely on Liverpool’s ability and desire to fund a deal for him, with no other clubs registering any serious interest.
Liverpool identified Benteke as a leading target before the end of last season but the club would not be willing at this time to make a bid that triggers the player’s clause and, furthermore, have just spent £29m signing the Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim.
Villa fully expect several teams to chance their arm later in the summer and play on Benteke’s contractual position and his hopes of leaving, but there is a stubborn refusal within the club to negotiate on the £32.5m exit figure that was inserted in the deal he signed two years ago.
Whether that all changes if Benteke rocks the boat remains to be seen – he submitted a transfer request in a bid to try to force through a move to Tottenham Hotspur after his first campaign at Villa – but ultimately much could depend on how Sherwood manages the situation and the sort of relationship he builds with the player once he returns for pre-season.
The FA Cup finalists had hoped that Benteke could be encouraged to sign another new contract on improved terms but they now realise, on the back of those discussions about the player’s future, that there is no chance of that happening. After scoring 42 Premier League goals across three years at Villa Park in a team fighting relegation each season, Benteke wants to move on and the prospect of a pay rise at the Midlands club will not persuade him otherwise.
