Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is ready to seek out an alternative transfer target if Christian Benteke leaves to another club, which various news souces are reporting.
It has been widely reported that Lamber has scouted various young centre forwards in the Netherlands, Germany and the Bundesliga with VBF Stuttgart’s in form prolific striker Vedad Ibisevic, who is currently third in the Bundesliga goal scoring chart’s, having smashed in nine goals in this campaign.
Aswell as various other Bundesliga target’s that Lambert is weighing up, Lambert is looking at a host of targets in the Netherlands, with Herenveen’s Alfred Finningbogason, who has scored sixteen Eredivisie which has seen him top the goal scoring charts.
Lambert is currently looking at certain targets, in preperation of losing star striker Christian Benteke, with Tottenham Hoptspur taking a keen interest in the big Belgium, who scored nineteen goals last season, as Villa struggled and just avoided relegation, mainly thanks to Benteke.
Benteke has scored just four this season, but recently signed a four year deal to keep him at Villa Park, which will have pleased the Villa faithfull, but Villa may be forced to sell up if a big money offer comes in.
But with the World Cup looming, Villa know that the additional exposure offered by a higher-profile club could prove the difference between the forward remaining with them or alternatively moving on.
To that end, Lambert appears to have found an alternative and will return once more to Holland.
He has already plucked defender Ron Vlaar and midfielder Karim El Ahmadi from Feyenoord and the latest off the production line is Dutch Under-21 forward Jurgen Locadia.
The big PSV Eindhoven striker shares many of Benteke’s characteristics. He stands over six feet tall and is noted as being a powerful presence.
Benteke was linked with a move to Tottenham last season, but with Roberto Soldado off form, and Jermaine Defore set for Canada, Andre Villas Boas may search for the Belgian.
By Ben Reardon
@BenReardon1
