Crystal Palace star Benteke wants China move

Bengaluru, March 12: Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke wants to join the money trail to China after the World Cup if reports in England are believed to be true.

The Palace striker looks set to leave at the end of the season and his advisers are checking out for options in the Far East and the Belgian international can push his claims for a lucrative move by impressing in Russia this summer whether the Eagles manage to stay up or not.

Palace want to recoup about £20million of the £27m they paid Liverpool for the target man in 2016 and they would be happy if a Chinese club came up with the cash they want.

The Eagles want new strikers for next season but their plans could change big time if they end up being demoted to the Championship. They will need to cash in on some of their star players to revamp their side and Benteke is the player at the club who will have the biggest price tag.

The Belgian currently earns around £90,000-a-week and even with a wage cut if Palace are relegated, would still be costing them about £50,000-a-week.

That means his agent will have to find a better deal for him elsewhere to make the move worthwhile for his client. As an experienced Premier League frontman, he could still get a club in England but it is claimed that Benteke wants to earn more than what he earns right now and only China can fulfil that.

Benteke had been linked with moves to Chelsea in the January transfer window as Antonio Conte was looking for a target man but he instead moved for Olivier Giroud and it is unlikely that he will once again come back for the Belgian.