he would obviously cost a lot but if Palace want to move up a level to a top half of the table team we need a striker like this

How much closer to the top than us will Spurs be next season though if we sign a player of Benteke's calibre up front.

"We love you Palace, we f@cking hate Man U, We love you Palace, we hate the brighton too, We love you Palace we play in red 'n' blue, so f@ck you, and you ...

Jesus Christ, surely no one in their right mind thinks we're going to sign him. Way, way, way out of our league. If he leaves Villa it'll be to a top team. What we need to do is find another Benteke, probably from abroad. Same as Bony with Swansea. That calibre of striker would make us a near certain Premier League team for years to come.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Obviously we've got no chance and he'll go to Spurs or Liverpool but in fairness these outlandish suggestions have been a core part of transfer talk ever since it began and at least we're progressing to a point where they're slightly less ridiculous now!

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold...

Is Benteke really worth £32.5 or is this just more evidence of Brenda splashing about not knowing what he's doing? [Link]

I really don't see Benteke being worth £30+million.

Cynic or realist? It's a fine line!

If he stays fit, he could well be worth it, he's unplayable - 2 questions are, how would he fit into a system such as Liverpool's as Villa have to play very direct to get the best out of him and also how much is his knee up to after tendon op. Didn't look like it bothered him at the end of last season but you never know with injuries like that if they are going to come back to haunt you.