Soccer

Christian Benteke says future lies in the hands of agent

Belgian striker refuses to rule out the possibility of a move away from Villa Park

Christian Benteke has said his future lies in the hands of his agent, who “knows what he wants”. Photograph: PA
Christian Benteke has said his future lies in the hands of his agent, who “knows what he wants”. Photograph: PA
Tue Jun 02 2015 - 10:19

Christian Benteke has opened the door to a possible move away from Aston Villa this summer by admitting his agent "knows what he wants".

The Belgium striker is away on international duty preparing for the Euro 2016 qualifier with Wales next week having played in Villa’s 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup Final.

Benteke's return of 12 goals this season after returning from an achilles injury has alerted several potential suitors, including Liverpool and Tottenham. The 24-year-old is believed to have a buyout clause of £32.5m in his current contract, which expires in 2017, and his representative Eric Kismet stated on Monday that Benteke wants to play for a club who have qualified for European competition next season.

“It’s about him, he knows what I want and I’ll let him do the job,” Benteke told Sky Sports News HQ.

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“I don’t know, I don’t think about Aston Villa now, I did my season with Villa and now I am focused with the national team.

“It’s important to play. If you want to be in first 11 you have to play in your club.”

Kismet is expected to meet Villa's chief executive Tom Fox and manager Tim Sherwood in the next week to discuss his future but Benteke admitted he was delighted with how his season ended.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I had some hard times with my injury but I knew my time would come and I would work hard for it,” he said.

“I think I can be better in every situation – my left foot, right foot, heading. I’m still young and I’m motivated about working hard and being better than before.”