Time's up: Vieira may finally axe "inevitable" 142-goal Palace dynamo as twist emerges - opinion

Crystal Palace are looking to offload their long-serving Belgian striker Christian Benteke this summer.

That is according to a report by The Sun, who claimed that the Eagles are looking to move the player on after a season which saw him begin as a first-choice centre-forward looks to end with the 31-year-old third in the pecking order.

Despite having signed a new deal last summer, it seems as though Palace will look to move Benteke on in order to recoup some of the £27m that they paid to Liverpool for him back in 2016.

According to the report, Benteke was offered to Burnley in the most recent transfer window, although it was a move that the Belgian snubbed.

It remains to be seen whether the Clarets will move for the Belgium striker once more, though, and it may be unlikely after the January signing of Wout Weghorst amidst a battle to retain their Premier League status.

After making 175 appearances for Crystal Palace over the course of six seasons, the sudden axing of Benteke may come as a shock twist to some, especially as he started the campaign as Vieira’s first choice forward and sits as the Eagles’ joint-fourth highest scorer in the 2021/22 Premier League with four goals.

However, given the demise of the Belgian amidst the emergence of Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta this season, you can understand why Palace are looking to offload their second-highest earner, who will be able to leave on a free next year.

It also underlines the links to Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, who is available for free this summer after rejecting multiple deals from Mikel Arteta in north London.

Selling Benteke and offloading his £120k-p/w wage in a bid to sign a hungry 22-year-old striker with vast potential for free would be an astute