Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke has seemingly put to bed rumours linking him with a move away from Selhurst Park this January.

The former Liverpool forward last week hinted at a possible exit in the next transfer window in order to gain first team football and hopefully win a place in the Belgian squad for Euro 2020.

Benteke, 28, who signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2021 only two months ago has quashed any chance of a departure, committing himself to the Eagles for the short term at last.

“I don’t want to leave,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.

“Go somewhere and leave my family in London? I don’t want to.

“I am 28 years old; I want stability.

“I’m not going to leave to play one year somewhere.”

'I'm not a thief'

Benteke has so far failed to live up to the £27million fee Palace paid Liverpool in 2017, and the striker who’s failed to find the back of the net this season is aware he owes the club something in return.

“A while ago Palace proposed an extension offer.

“I talked about it with the board. We were on the same page, as they say in English. They have invested a lot in me and wanted to be able to recover something from that amount.

“And I didn’t want to leave as a thief because I was free in January.

“I have loved football since I was a kid and I have always been someone who is honest and correct.

“I wanted to give the club the chance to recover part of the investment if I left.”

Chance Will Come

Benteke has played second fiddle to Jordan Ayew in leading the line for Roy Hodgson this season, but on a goalscoring trip with Belgium last week there are those that believe he is worthy of being given a chance to add to the two starts he has this campaign with Ayew netting just four goals.

“A very busy period will soon begin,” he added.

“There will certainly be chances of playing during Christmas and the festive season.

“Everything then depends on me, but I am not the one who calculates: ‘I am going to score ten goals and at the end of the season I will leave’.

"I just try to make the best of it on the pitch when I play.”

A move to China and Turkey in January were rumoured, but rumours is all they were according to the forward.

“To be honest, I don’t know that. I don’t read it.

“As long as there is no specific offer on paper, I am not interested. The rest are just rumours.”