Chelsea are reportedly looking to beat Liverpool for the signature of Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, as manager Jose Mourinho looks to bring in a new striker to replace Didier Drogba.
The Blues, who were crowned the new English Champions following their 1-0 win against Hull City on 3 May, have undoubtedly become much stronger upfront this season after the arrival of Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid last summer.
The Brazil-born striker has been in fine form for Chelsea this season, scoring 19 goals in 25 appearances for the Blues in the Premier League so far.
Apart from him, Loic Remy, who arrived from Queens Park Rangers for a transfer fee of £10.5 million last summer, has also done well this season despite getting limited first team football.
However, Didier Drogba, who was once the most-feared striker in the Premier League, seems to be no longer up for the task as he is 37 years of age.
As a result, Jose Mourinho, who has stated the importance of having a third striker in the squad, is reportedly hunting for a new attacker, and according to the Daily Mirror, he is reportedly considering a serious move for Aston Villa's Benteke.
The 24-year-old, despite not being in the best of form at the start of the season after returning from an injury in November, has been very impressive of late, scoring 12 goals in the last 11 Premier League fixtures.
Liverpool are being strongly linked to the Belgian, but the Blues are confident they can tempt the striker with Champions League football and the chance to win silverware next season.
Villa are understood to be very reluctant on selling their star striker this summer, but an offer in the region of £30million could be tempting enough to change their minds.
Many reports claim that Villa boss Tim Sherwood is already targeting Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor and Queen Park Rangers' Charlie Austin to replace Benteke this summer.
However, it still remains to be seen whether Benteke will be willing to move to Chelsea, as he is unlikely to be a regular starter ahead of Costa.
