Chelsea Prepare Move for Tottenham Striker Target - Report

Chelsea are preparing a move to sign Tottenham target Christian Benteke, according to Goal.com. The 22-year-old joined Aston Villa last summer and in his debut season at Villa Park, the Belgian international has managed 23 goals and registered eight assists in 39 appearances in all competitions.

Benteke's impressive form in the Premier League has attracted interest from the clubs across Europe. Tottenham are considering bringing Villa's star player to White Hart Lane while their local rivals Arsenal, along with the Champions League finalist Borussia Dortmund are also keen on his services.

The report claims that the Europa League winners have now joined the race after losing out on signing their long term target Edinson Cavani. Naploi star is believed to be closing in completing a move to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain while Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski will join Bayern Munich next year.

The report claims Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wants to strengthen the Blues attacking division. And after losing out on signing Cavani and Lewandowski, the former Real Madrid boss has turned his attention to Benteke to lead the west London club's strike force.

Mourinho has Spanish international Fernando Torres, January addition Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku at his disposal. The Belgian returned to Stamford Bridge after impressing during his loan spell at West Bromwich Albion.

However, the Portuguese boss is now believed to offload Torres and Ba, who no longer fits into Mourinho's plan at the club. Benteke has already proved his worth in the Premier League and is now eyeing for Champions League actions, which could be fulfilled with a move to the Stamford Bridge club.

Meanwhile, Villa manager Paul Lambert has warned the striker that any move to the top club could be a gamble for Benteke. He believes the Belgian's first team appearances will be restricted, should he make a switch to the top flight club this summer.

"If you take that gamble to move to one of these huge clubs, then you might not play as many games. Footballers want to play. If they're hungry enough, then that's half the battle. The pressure on a young player moving is high. He's still a young lad learning the game and developing into a man," Lambert told talkSPORT.