Ex-Liverpool striker set to become free agent - Coventry City, Leicester & Sheffield United should be swooping ASAP | OneFootball

Christian Benteke is set to become a free agent this January upon his exit from MLS outfit DC United

Former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke is set to become a free agent this January following his confirmed exit from DC United, and several clubs in the EFL Championship should be monitoring his situation with a view to moving for the Belgian.

Benteke has just shy of 300 Premier League appearances to his name for the likes of Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace, and now, having turned 35, following three-and-a-half years in the MLS with DC United, he is set to become a free agent once more.

In a post on social media platform X, Benteke thanked the American outfit for his time with the club, and ended with saying 'ready for what's next', insinuating that he is not ready to hang up his boots just yet.

Benteke scored 49 goals and grabbed 11 assists in exactly 100 games for the Washington D.C. outfit, including 23 goals in 30 appearances across the 2024 MLS season, winning the league's golden boot that year.

With at least one more chapter set to be written in the 45-time-capped former Belgian international's story, clubs in the Championship should be on high alert over his situation should he be open to a return to England, with Football League World earmarking THREE clubs in particular who should take notice...

Coventry City

Despite not even being halfway through the 2025-26 season, Coventry City are the outright favourites for the Championship title, having taken the division by storm so far, sitting ten points clear at the top of the table after 18 games and already netting 50 goals in the league.

It would be fair to suggest that recruitment in their attack would be the last thing on head coach Frank Lampard's mind, but with Brandon Thomas-Asante suffering a hamstring injury, albeit he will return in early January, this leaves just Ellis Simms and Haji Wright as the only fit strikers going into the start of 2026 - providing the American has no setbacks from his own issues.

Lampard was very close to signing Patrick Bamford as a free agent in November, but a last-minute U-turn by owner Doug King scuppered the deal, with the now-Sheffield United forward saying: "And then the owner decided that he didn't want to do the deal, that the team was flying. Which they are.

"I have no hard feelings towards him whatsoever, it’s completely fine. I obviously spoke to Frank, he apologised and just said that he was happy to have me in there.

"It's a shame that it didn't go through, but I just said that I was really grateful for him letting me train and obviously get my fitness up. Which actually helped because then, when I came in here, it's obviously made it a lot easier in terms of hitting the ground running."

Lampard clearly wanted to add another striker to his Sky Blues options, and they may yet revisit the possibility of adding to that area of the pitch - Benteke would be a bit of a different profile to anyone they've currently got, but he could be a really effective one.

It has been reported that Leicester City may be on the verge of sacking former Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes from his role at the King Power Stadium, with the Foxes languishing in 16th place after 18 matches, with their most recent 3-2 home defeat to Sheffield United a particularly crushing blow having been 3-0 down before half-time.

The Foxes were playing Premier League football as recently as May 2025, and following relegation, the expectation would have been to immediately challenge for promotion once more, but that has not yet transpired.

Their current top scorer is on-loan midfielder Jordan James, with four goals to his name, with none of their strikers having scored more than two.

Patson Daka, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Jordan Ayew, and Julian Carranza have just four goals between them this season, with the lack of goals in the forward areas a glaringly obvious weakness for the Foxes, who may be forced to look at options this January.

With an impending points deduction coming their way, they have been forced to stay strict over their transfer expenditure, not signing a player on a permanent deal for a fee this summer, and with Benteke becoming a free agent, he would stay in line with their current transfer policy and offer an alternative to their current misfiring options.

Sheffield United

Like Leicester, Sheffield United have struggled in front of goal this season, albeit with a recent upturn in their fortunes in the final third.

The Blades have now won three on the bounce, scoring nine goals in those games, but before that, they were in a perilous position, occupying the relegation places and the lowest scorers in the division.

Manager Chris Wilder has started to turn things around once more at Bramall Lane, although with Danny Ings and Louie Barry continuing to misfire, Tom Cannon has been more miss than hit, and the aforementioned Bamford only guaranteed to be there until January, Tyrese Campbell is the only forward who is consistently delivering.

Cannon had scored just once in 30 matches prior to their recent flurry of wins, but has netted twice in the last three, finally breaking his duck in front of goal, whilst Campbell netted twice himself against City rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Benteke would offer a sheer physical presence that nobody else in the squad can provide, and with how crucial Kieffer Moore was for the Blades last season, the Belgian could prove to be a cheap, experienced and completely different option in the squad's ranks than what is currently on offer.