Aston Villa confirm Christian Benteke signing

Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Belgian striker Christian Benteke from Genk for a reported fee of £7m.

Manager Paul Lambert was keen to add to his attacking options but was turned down by Fulham attacker Clint Dempsey, who has since joined Tottenham Hotspur.

Benteke had also been identified as a transfer target as Lambert looked for goalscoring support for Darren Bent.

Despite having an initial bid rejected for the 21-year-old, Villa were able to negotiate a deal and the player has penned a four-year deal after passing a medical.

Benteke, who scored 19 goals in 37 games for Genk, becomes the latest Belgian to join the Premier League following the summer arrivals of Eden Hazard and Jan Vertonghen among others.