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What's the story?
Chelsea are on the lookout for a striker and now latest reports from the Metro (via the Daily Telegraph) state that Antonio Conte is ready to greenlight a shock bid for former Liverpool and Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke.
The 26-year-old Belgian was in decent form for the London club last season and ended the campaign with a respectable tally of 15 Premier League goals. The big Belgian is a powerful presence in the opposition box and Conte is said to be an admirer of Benteke's hold-up play and heading ability.
In case you didn't know...
Although the move might come as a surprise to many people, Benteke does have experience playing in the top flight having had spells with Aston Villa and Liverpool before joining Crystal Palace last season for a fee of £32.5 million.
The 26-year-old striker was immensely effective at Aston Villa but never really came to grips with the style of play at Liverpool. Benteke seemed to be getting close to his best form last season at Crystal Palace and now a move to Chelsea might just rejuvenate the big man's career.
Also read: Arsenal join Chelsea in surprise bid to sign £65 million striker
The heart of the matter
Chelsea have a serious dearth of attacking firepower after they missed out in signing Romelu Lukaku who instead made a move to Manchester United. Conte's side have been linked with star strikers like Morata, Aubameyang and even Higuain those deals for all of them are nowhere close to completion.
A deal for Benteke seems much more realistic, but it is believed that Conte sees the big Belgian as an excellent backup option to a marquee striker rather than being the first choice. Also, with Diego Costa almost certain to leave the club, Chelsea will be determined to get in Benteke to add to quality and depth to the squad.
Also read: Most expensive XI in world football at the moment
Video
This is probably why Chelsea want him. Benteke left Courtois for dead in this goal!
Author's take
While at first glance the deal might not make sense for Chelsea, at closer inspection, it looks like a genius move by Conte. With Batshuayi the only recognised senior striker at the moment, the signing of Benteke will add competition and depth to the Chelsea squad.
Also, Conte seems to get the best out of tall big players (like Fernando Llorente at Juventus) and Benteke might just prove to be more than effective at Stamford Bridge should he sign for the Premier League champions.
