Reports from the Daily Mirror claim that Christian Benteke is being lined up by Tottenham Hotspur. Aston Villa’s 24-year-old Belgian forward returned from injury last season and propelled Villa’s survival as he scored 12 goals in his final 17 games of the season.
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Benteke is also wanted by Liverpool but the Mirror says that Emmanuel Adebayor is being offered to Villa by Spurs as a makeweight in the deal. Adebayor has fallen out of favor at White Hart Lane but flourished under former Spurs boss and current Villa manager Tim Sherwood. Benteke’s release clause in his contract is said to be over $50 million but Adebayor would give Villa a ready-made replacement who has extensive experience of scoring goals in the Premier League.
[ MORE: Latest transfer gossip ]
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has, according to the Telegraph, ended his interest in Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal. The 28-year-old Juventus man had been a long-term target for Arsenal but the London Evening Standard believes that Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho, 23, is now preferred by Arsene Wenger.
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Carvalho has starred for Portugal’s U-21 side at the European Championships and is a holding midfielder in the same ilk as Francis Coquelin. For years the Gunners have been screaming out for a midfield destroyer to sit in front of the back four and with Vidal off the radar and no bid made for Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin so far this summer, Carvalho seems to be Wenger’s preferred option. His is younger than the aforementioned duo of Vidal and Schneiderlin but his $45 million release clause may be a bit of a stumbling block.
Elsewhere, the Daily Express says that Everton are monitoring Leeds United right back Sam Byram. The 21-year-old has been a regular for the Elland Road club for three seasons but any move from the Toffees for Byram would ramp up speculation that Seamus Coleman could be heading to Manchester United. Coleman, 26, has shone for Everton and with United desperate for a right back option, they may offer the Goodison Park club a fee they can’t refuse. If so, Byram would be a relatively cheap and reliable replacement.
