Crystal Palace Insider Claims £15m Is Enough to Convince Cherries of January Striker Sale

A source close to Crystal Palace has claimed that Bournemouth could be swayed into selling Benik Afobe in January if the Cherries receive a bid of £15m.

It is understood that Roy Hodgson is a big fan of the former Arsenal striker and is looking at bringing the 24-year-old to Selhurst Park to relieve some of the pressure that is currently falling on Christian Benteke's shoulders.

"Roy is a big fan of Benik’s from when he was playing for the England Under-21s," the source told SunSport. "With the club in a pickle at the foot of the table, it is difficult for him to find players to come to the club.

"But he believes Benik would be perfect because he is not getting much game time at Bournemouth and would be a player that would be hungry for games."

Since arriving at the south coast in 2016, Afobe has made 60 appearances for Bournemouth  and scored 11 goals. 

Despite his outstanding form at MK Dons and Wolves, in which Afobe notched 42 goals in just 78 games, the London-born striker has been unable to find his feet in the Premier League.

A product of the distinguished Arsenal academy, Afobe was never given a chance to impress in north London and eventually decided to end his time at the club in January 2015 after a successful loan spell in Milton Keynes.

Afobe joined Wolves for just £2m and after an outstanding spell at Molineux, the 24-year-old was given his chance to impress in the Premier League with Bournemouth. 

However, just like with French youngster Lys Mousset, game time has come few and far between for the striker, with Eddie Howe opting to use Callum Wilson, Josh King and Jermain Defoe on a regular basis.