Manchester United to sign Christian Benteke – reports

Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move for Edinson Cavani over the last few days, though it now appears that Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke is the man to reinforce the Reds' attack. That's according to a report in the Sun today, which claims that "Louis van Gaal is ready to blow Liverpool out of the water by activating the Aston Villa striker’s £32.5million release clause."

There's no doubting that's a lot of money for an Aston Villa player, but Benteke does have a lot going for him. He's a proven Premier League goalscorer, having netted 42 goals since moving to the Midlands from Genk in 2012; he's still only 24 years old; and he's the sort of goalscorer that could do very nicely in a United team that is currently completely lacking in out-and-out strikers.

Of course, this raises intriguing questions, and perhaps chief among them is what would Benteke's arrival mean for Wayne Rooney? We're all dearly hoping that it means he becomes a little more familiar with the comfy seats on the substitute's bench, but whether van Gaal will be brave enough to drop our fleet-footed captain remains to be seen. For the moment, it's certainly something to ponder.

Yep. Manchester United need a new striker http://t.co/C618zkebyY pic.twitter.com/4eKIXNm3dT #mufc

— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) July 15, 2015