West Ham United are reportedly weighing up the prospect of signing Christian Benteke on deadline day, with Crystal Palace demanding £10 million for him.
According to an exclusive report by The Sun, Christian Benteke is the subject of interest from West Ham United over a possible deadline day move. Crystal Palace will not oppose the sale of the Belgian striker and will accept a bid in the region of £10 million for him.
Christian Benteke has found a new lease of footballing life since ending his horrific spell with Liverpool to join Crystal Palace in August 2016. While the 31-year-old has not reached the heights of his Aston Villa stint, he has still managed to be a solid contributor to the Eagles’ cause.
The Belgian international has a record of 37 goals and 12 assists in 169 appearances for Crystal Palace. But his time at Selhurst Park could be drawing to a close soon, with Patrick Vieira prepared to sanction his sale. Such a situation has piqued the interest of West Ham United.
West Ham’s long-drawn search for a No. 9 has been well-documented, with Michail Antonio the only striker at David Moyes’ disposal since Sebastien Haller’s move to Ajax in January 2021. While the precarious situation has not come back to haunt West Ham much, going into a busy second half of the season with just one recognised centre-forward could be a recipe for disaster.
This month, the Hammers have been linked with a gamut of strikers, with Darwin Nunez the latest to pop up on their radar over a deadline day move. And it now looks like Benteke has emerged as a key target for West Ham heading into the final hours of the January transfer window.
The Londoners are keeping their options open, with versatile forwards like Raphinha and Leandro Trossard also on their radar. But Benteke could be an ideal purchase for West Ham, with the Crystal Palace striker being a suitable option to play second-fiddle to Antonio. And signing the 31-year-old will not set the Hammers back by much, with Crystal Palace demanding £10 million for him.
Vieira is not opposed to the idea of selling Benteke, largely because Jean-Philippe Mateta is primed to join Crystal Palace permanently. But it is unclear if West Ham will fork out the requisite £10 million to prise the Belgian international away from Selhurst Park in a deadline day move.
