Earlier on Friday, we relayed a story from Turkey claiming Besiktas were considering a move for Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke that could involve Cenk Tosun going the other way.
Sabah explained the Belgium international’s eligibility to play in the Champions League was said to potentially ‘be a key factor’, but the Premier League club’s valuation of the forward could prove to be a stumbling block.
After all, the prospect of European football could have been a temptation for Benteke, but his agent, Kismet Eris, explained to Sport Witness the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker isn’t going anywhere in January.
He said: “Christian told me before the beginning of the season that, whatever happened, he would stay at Crystal Palace because of his preparation for the World Cup, but also to provide stability for his family, and so on.
Even if he is yet to score a goal for the Eagles this season, the 27-year-old still gets called up regularly by Roberto Martinez, and he has every chance of being on the plane to Russia as Belgium’s alternative to Romelu Lukaku if he carries on playing as often as he does.
Furthermore, despite his last-minute penalty miss against Bournemouth, Benteke was back in the starting line-up against Watford, proving he still has Roy Hodgson’s trust when it comes to leading Palace’s line.
He’s getting the minutes he needs at Selhurst Park, and if his past record is anything to go by, he’ll be finding the back of the net once again in no time.
