With at least some level of doubt around the future of Christian Benteke at Crystal Palace after the current season, it may be worth the club putting a little thought into what would happen in the event of the Belgian leaving.
It would be difficult for Crystal Palace to get their money back if Benteke were to move to another Premier League club, and it’s unlikely they’d be able to match it from any other clubs around Europe.
The possibility of a move to China is now one of the laziest transfer rumours to throw around. Over the past few there seem to have been transfer possibilities pulled out of thin air. Think of a player, think of a Chinese club, think of a figure, double it.
In Belgian it’s been slightly more serious, with there seeming more temptation towards Belgian players, or at least more of a willingness to listen to what’s available. Axel Witsel recently moved from Zenit to Tianjin Quanjian and speaking to the Belgian media he’s opened up the prospect of his international teammates joining him.
Quoted by Het Belang vam Limburg, Witself explained: “It would be good if another Belgian comes to China. It would not surprise me if one or two Red Devils arrive in the near future. And I can imagine that they come to me for advice.
“I will tell them that they need to look at where they will live in China. It is more than a country, it’s a continent. A city that isn’t great should be avoided. But in many cities you can lead a normal life.”
The midfielder lives in Tianjin (pictured above), one of China’s more modern cities with all the usual luxuries a millionaire footballer could want. Het Belang vam Limburg reiterate that Benteke had an offer to move to China during the January window, something Belgium’s DH say tempted the Crystal Palace player.
Witsel added: “This season has been a transitional year, but in the summer there will be new players and at least a strong striker.”
Benteke to China isn’t as crazy an idea as perhaps it once sounded.
