Aston Villa Fail With £5.5m Offer for Genk Striker Christian Benteke: The Daily EPL

Aston Villa has failed to sign a deal for 21-year-old Belgian international striker Christian Benteke, who Paul Lambert was hoping to sign to partner Darren Bent up front for the Villans. While Aston Villa’s £5.5m offer was rejected, there’s still an opportunity for a counter-bid that could be accepted before the transfer window closes.

Meanwhile, here are the latest Premier League news headlines today:

• Aston Villa fail with a £5.5m offer for Genk striker Christian Benteke — BBC Sport
• Joey Barton claims move to Marseille has collapsed — The Guardian
• Wayne Rooney injury could wreck Dimitar Berbatov exit from Man United — The Independent
• Three in the back is back, says Jonathan Wilson — The Guardian
• Manchester City are reportedly lining up a bid for Benfica’s Javi Garcia — Sky Sports
• Swansea City chairman hits out at Manchester City over Scott Sinclair delay — Wales Online
  
• His Blues Debut: Thorgan Hazard (Chelsea U21s) v Manchester City — 101 Great Goals
  
• Capital One Cup (aka League Cup) preview of tonight’s matches — Sky Sports
• Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka could be sold by Shanghai Shenhua — The Independent
  
• Leandro Damiao will not be heading to White Hart Lane this summer — Sky Sports
• It’s time that Roberto Mancini made the best of his resources at Man City — Life’s A Pitch
• Norwich are closing in on the signing of Blackburn goalkeeper Mark Bunn — Sky Sports
  
• Russia & Qatar Ready for FIFA Investigation into 2018/22 Bid Victories — World Football Insider