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Aston Villa have officially confirmed what we all already knew:
Christian Benteke has completed his move to Villa from Genk. More soon on AVFC.co.uk.
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) August 31, 2012#AVFC
Glad to see the OS confirm it though, as reporting at the end of the transfer window is always a strange combination of dodgy and frantic. The only piece left for Villa fans to wonder about is how much the Belgium international cost. If he was a ton of money we could all be suspicious. If he came for a pretty low fee, it'd be 150% worth it. Well, the ever-wonderful Mat Kendrick brings us news that should have us jumping for joy:
By the way Christian Benteke's is a four-year deal for a fee believed to be £7 million
— Mat Kendrick (@MatKendrick) August 31, 2012#avfc
A. Maz. Ing. The original offer of £5.5 million would have been amazing, but it was really just an initial point from which bargaining could begin. Had Villa paid the reported £11 million that Genk asked, it would have been absurd. £7 million though feels just about right. Even better is the news that we'll get to see the 21-year-old grow with the club for four years.
Obviously, we'll have to see on-pitch performance to back up our thoughts, but as it stands, Villa fans should be very happy right now.