Crystal Palace: £120k-p/w star could 'definitely' leave Selhurst Park

Crystal Palace could “definitely” let Christian Benteke leave this summer, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

The striker signed a new deal at Selhurst Park 12 months ago, but his lack of game-time could lead to him being moved on in the current transfer window.

Following an impressive end to the 2020-2021 campaign, in which Benteke scored in his final four outings, he was rewarded with a contract extension.

Despite his new deal being confirmed before Patrick Vieira’s arrival, the Frenchman clearly took a liking to the Belgium international, starting him regularly during the early months of the season.

Benteke repaid his faith with four goals, with his standout performance coming in the draw at Burnley when he scored twice.

But following the festive period, the 31-year-old hardly got a look in and would make just four substitute appearances in Palace’s final 16 Premier League fixtures, which suggests he isn’t in Vieira’s plans moving forward.

The £120,000 per-week frontman rejected a January move to Burnley, but Barclay reckons that he could now finally leave Palace in the summer window, providing the “right deal” emerges.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s been a strange season for Benteke. He signed on just before Vieira joined and he seemed to appreciate him and play him quite a bit.

“He had that game at Burnley when he scored a couple of goals and looked like the Benteke of old.

“But if the right deal comes along for the club and player, I can definitely see him moving on.”

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Benteke has generally been a good servant to the Eagles, directly contributing to 49 goals in 177 games.

But with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard