One of the biggest transfer saga's of the summer could be set for a swift ending, as Christian Benteke is set to tell Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood that he wishes to leave the club before September 1st.
Surprising development
The news comes as a surprise given the relative quiteness on the matter in recent weeks, but it is now believed that the Belgian striker will inform his manager of his wishes at the club's Bodymoor Heath training ground on Tuesday.
Long linked with Liverpool, Benteke would prefer a move to Merseyside as it would allow him to play European football, something which isn't on offer at Villa Park.
The Midlands club had hoped for their star player to potentially sign a new contract, but that seems out of the question at this point, and he may well finally get his dream move.
How much will he be sold for?
Villa are set to grant the striker his wish, but have no intention of budging from their asking price of £32.5 million, incidentally, Benteke's release clause.
This could prove to be something of a stumbling block, with Liverpool only wishing to pay between £20-£25million in order to get their man, and enhance their attacking options ahead of the upcoming season.
Who will Villa add?
Any transfer of this nature would represent something of a windfall for Villa, who aren't known for their lavish spending. However, they are set to make their biggest signing in four years sometime this week, after having an offer accepted for Lille midfielder Idrissa Gueye.
Gueye would become their third signing of the window, after Micah Richards and Scott Sinclair both joined from Manchester City.
It should be understood that, although Benteke is formally telling his manager that he wishes to leave, he isn't submitting a transfer request. This is most likely to be because he doesn't want to cause more unrest with the Villa fans, and doesn't want to lose any 'loyalty bonus' he may be set to recieve when leaving the club.
Some have suggested that in order to make Villa lower their demands, putting in a transfer request would work for the Belgian, as then they wouldn't be under any obligation to pay him his loyalt bonus.