Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke has no plans of leaving the club despite the recent arrival of Jean-Philippe Mateta on an 18-month loan deal from Mainz with a buy option, Football Insider reports.
The Belgium international has less than six months remaining on his contract with the Eagles and the club have yet to open negotiations over a possible renewal beyond that period.
The 30-year-old has netted only three times in the Premier League this term, but all of those goals have come from the start of December when he has been a regular up front under manager Roy Hodgson.
A recent report from The Mail claimed that both Benteke and Michy Batshuayi (on loan from Chelsea) could head for the exit door with the arrival of Mateta, but it is now reported that the former is prepared to see out his contract with the club.
SL view:
Benteke is currently on wages of around £120,000-a-week and the Eagles are unlikely to renew his contract unless he accepts a significant pay-cut.
The Belgian is no longer at the prime of his career, but has impressed with his link-up play with Wilfried Zaha and scored some handy goals over the past six weeks.
Mateta may take some time to adapt to English football and ideally, he could be eased into Premier League action during the backend of the season.
It won’t be a bad option for Benteke to stay put, but the club will obviously miss out on the transfer fee if he leaves for nothing in the summer.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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