Report: Tottenham Hotspur prepare £20m bid for Christian Benteke

Aston Villa are bracing themselves for a £20m bid from Tottenham Hotspur for star striker Christian Benteke, according to reports.

The 24-year-old was instrumental in helping Tim Sherwood's side avoid the drop as he scored 11 goals in Villa's final 11 Premier League games of the season.

He has been attracting interest from Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, but Spurs are ready to jump the queue by registering an early offer of £20m, reports The Sun.

However, Villa will apparently hold out for the full £32.5m that would trigger the buy-out clause in Benteke's contract.

Benteke moved to the Midlands side from Belgian outfit Genk for a fee of around £8m in 2012. He handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2013, but later withdrew this and signed a new four-year contract.