According to reports in the Sunday Mirror, Everton manager Sam Allardyce is set to target a move for £32m Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke during the January transfer window as he finally looks to sign Romelu Lukaku’s replacement.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Sunday Mirror says that Allardyce is keen to beef up his side’s attacking options after they failed to being in a centre-forward to be Lukaku’s successor at Goodison Park during the summer, and the 63-year-old boss is keen to be reunited with Benteke having worked with him last season.
The Eagles signed the 27-year-old from Liverpool in 2016 in a deal that could eventually cost them £32m, and considering they are battling against the drop they certainly won’t want to lose one of the few strikers they do have on the cheap.
The Sunday Mirror adds that Allardyce has been told that he must sell before he buys.
How has Benteke done this season?
Even though he scored an impressive 15 goals in 36 Premier League appearances during his debut campaign for Palace, the Belgium international has found this term far more difficult – especially when the team were struggling and bottom of the table.
The 27-year-old had failed to find the net or assist in his opening 10 top flight outings this term, and he decided he would take a late penalty that would have seen them beat Bournemouth 3-2 at Selhurst Park last weekend if he converted it.
However, the centre-forward’s weak spot-kick was saved and the Eagles only took a point, and manager Roy Hodgson confirmed that Benteke shouldn’t have taken it after the game.
The striker went from zero to hero in the space of seven days though as he scored one and assisted another in the 3-0 victory against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Would he be a good signing for Everton?
He certainly would be.
A tall and strong striker like Benteke fits perfectly into the way that Big Sam likes to play, and his goal record has been pretty decent at Aston Villa and now Palace, despite a relatively disappointing spell with Liverpool.
The 27-year-old’s goal drought earlier this season may be a concern for some Toffees supporters, but like many other strikers the Belgian is a confidence player and there is no doubt that he is a real threat for opposition defenders even if he isn’t finding the net.
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