WATCH: Liverpool target Benteke's agent admits he will FORCE move away from Aston Villa

Posted Tuesday, June 02, 2015 by Express.co.uk

CHRISTIAN BENTEKE'S agent says the player will do everything he legally can to leave Aston Villa to play in Europe next season.

An enterprising Aston Villa fan scoured the internet today for Kismet Eris' phone number and called him pretending to be a Premier League manager.

Ty Bracey put a video of the interview on Facebook, and the identity of the agent was seemingly confirmed by Belgian football expert Kristof Terreur, who tweeted: "Prank call. Benteke's agent tells a prankster what we all knew: CB will reject a new deal & is ready to leave #AVFC."

Eris said: "There's one thing for sure that I can tell you: Christian will do whatever is possible legally - by insisting if he has to - to leave Aston Villa.

"That's not because he's not happy at Aston Villa at all. It's just because he wants to play for a higher team and he will not, at Aston Villa, sign a new contract but I can only talk about a new contract when I am proposed a new contract."

The news comes after Tim Sherwood admitted Villa wanted to offer Benteke a new contract, saying: "I will have a chat with him.

"I have told him already that I want him to stay at the club. I want him to have a good season and score at the same ratio as he did when I came in here.

"I'm not sure what his plans are. He didn't tell me either way. We just tried to get this game out the way.

Christian Benteke is ready to leave Aston Villa

"It is right to talk to him about the speculation and we need to be put it to bed. He needs to sign a new contract. We need to offer him a new contract, which the club are prepared to do, and he needs to sign it. When he does, we know he's not going anywhere."

Eris refused to confirm the value of Benteke's current release clause but Sherwood has previously stated the Belgian would not be leaving unless it was met.

He said: "There's a buy-out clause in his contract so it will be impossible for us to stop him if he wants to go.

"But someone's got to meet that buy-out clause and if they don't, it won't be considered because we don't want to lose him.

"He's made no indication that he wants to leave. I've not had a conversation with him. I've told you my view on it, I don't think he should be moving clubs before a European Championship."