Reports today have suggested that Manchester United are close to signing Christian Benteke from Aston Villa, with his release clause set at £32.5m.

The idea that United would pay this sum of money for a player who has had one great season, three years ago, is insane. A few newspapers ran with the story but it really came alive when Benteke took to Twitter to retweet an article which claimed that United were set to beat Liverpool to his signature.

Benteke makes sense as a Liverpool signing. He fits in nicely with the likes of James Milner, Rickie Lambert, Joe Allen, Danny Ings and so on. Would any top team in Europe sign them? Course not. But they’re decent enough Premier League players who will do alright.

Charlie Austin scored more goals than Benteke last season, and he was playing for an even worse team. Should we put in a £40m bid for him? We’re all well aware that money in football is getting ridiculous now, but any team would be mad to meet Benteke’s release clause. He’d be worth a punt for £20m max.

It’s highly unlikely that United are actually interested in the player, even if his behaviour on Twitter suggests he wishes we were. Memphis Depay chose United over Liverpool, and here’s hoping that we don’t give Benteke the opportunity to make the same decision.