Yahoo Finance Christian Benteke offered Crystal Palace contract extension as club enter talks with multiple players
Christian Benteke has yet to score for Crystal Palace so far this season
(Getty Images)Crystal Palace are in talks with a number of players over new contracts, including striker Christian Benteke.
Palace have 12 senior players - as well as manager Roy Hodgson - out of contract next summer, with Patrick van Aanholt, Andros Townsend and Gary Cahill also among that number.
Hodgson is confident those players the club are keen to keep will stay, but is aware of the dangers of letting contracts run down.
"It is a concerning moment for all managers, if they have got players who are running out of contract and could possibly be allowed to talk to other clubs and pave the way for leaving," he said.
"But it’s something we are working at with those players and I’m confident that we will secure the type of deal with the players that we hope we will be able to secure, because we have a group of players here who seem to be quite comfortable at the club and quite comfortable doing their jobs here.
"So I’m hoping that it won’t cause enormous problems. And if it does, we’ll have to maybe use the January transfer window to resolve it."
Benteke, who is yet to start a game this season, signed a one-year deal last term in order to prevent him leaving on a free transfer and has been offered another contract extension. However, the Belgian international is also courting interest from other Premier League clubs.
The 29-year-old, one of Palace's top earners, remains happy at the club but could leave on a free should first-team chances not present themselves before the season is over.
The Eagles face Newcastle at Selhurst Park on Friday night, still without Wilfried Zaha after his positive test for coronavirus last week.
Hodgson, however, is confident Palace can cope without their star man.
"We are certainly an awful lot deeper than we have been in the past," he said. "There was a period where we had to play without him for a long spell and it didn't go well. But we don't envisage that happening again."
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