Liverpool-linked striker has no intention of signing for Tottenham

Remember those Christian Benteke to Tottenham Hotspur rumors? Here's more evidence that you shouldn't believe them. The Standard is reporting that Benteke has absolutely no intention of moving to White Hart Lane, even if Spurs have an offer for the striker accepted by Aston Villa.

And really, why should he? There have been emphatically dumb rumors that Spurs will either pay Benteke's £32m buy-out fee outright, or offer Emmanuel Adebayor plus cash for the Belgian striker, but Benteke really has no incentive whatsoever to sign with Spurs. Tottenham can't provide a huge increase in Tekker's wages compared to what he's making now at Villa, and, more importantly, if he comes to Tottenham he's second fiddle to Harry Kane in Mauricio Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 system. I don't think a player of Benteke's caliber is content to make a move to a club where he can't be the man.

The Standard also suggests that Benteke submitted his written transfer request in 2013 because he thought Spurs were going to make an offer for him, one that never came, and he's hesitant to be burned again by Tottenham.

Benteke is still heavily linked to Liverpool, and while they can't offer Champions League football either, they can certainly offer higher wages. With Raheem Sterling almost certainly gone, Tekkers is also likely to slot into the starting lineup as the tip of the spear with Coutinho and/or Firmino behind him. That's kind of scary.

£32.5m, or even the suggested £25m + Ade, is a lot to pay for what essentially is a backup/rotation striker. Meanwhile, Charlie Austin is still in the Championship. As good as Benteke is, Spurs probably have cheaper options available that are a better fit.