Jurgen Klopp is looking to bring in Benteke to fill the gap left by the Polish forward.
With Robert Lewandowski seemingly on his way out of Borussia Dortmund, manager Jurgen Klopp has lined up Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke as the ideal replacement.
In a shock development reported by the Daily Mail, Dortmund want to sneak in ahead of Tottenham and Arsenal and snap up the Belgium international for a fee of around £20million.
The chief transfer negotiator at the German club watched Benteke in Villa’s 1-2 home defeat to Chelsea on Saturday and relayed back to Dortmund that the striker has what it takes.
The Birmingham club are resigned to the fact that the 22-year-old will probably leave in the summer, but after signing the Belgian for £7million just 12 months ago manager Paul Lambert is unlikely to accept bids of less than £20million.
If Benteke departs for Germany it would be a big step up for the forward, as he would swap the current Premier League relegation battle he is in with Villa for Champions League football at the Westfalenstadion.
His departure would also be a great loss at Villa Park, as the striker’s 19 top flight goals have made him the standout performer for the club this season and he has arguably kept them in the division.
With Dortmund one of a number of teams circling around Benteke it is likely that Villa fans have seen the last of the Belgian in Birmingham, as a red card against Chelsea at the weekend means the youngster will be suspended for the last game of the season against Wigan.
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