Aston Villa are ready to upgrade Christian Benteke's contract.

The Daily Mail says Villa manager Paul Lambert has approached owner Randy Lerner with a proposal to add an extra year to the 22-year-old striker's deal and the American billionaire looks set to rubber-stamp it. Lambert is desperate to keep Benteke after his sensational first season in the Premier League.

The club have lost shining lights including Gareth Barry and James Milner in the past but Lerner is prepared to double Benteke's basic pay to £2million a year to keep him out of the clutches of Tottenham or Arsenal, both of whom have taken an interest in him.