Benteke has been in impressive form of late, most noticeably in Aston Villa's 3-1 win at Liverpool at Anfield, where he scored two goals and assisted another.

His recent displays have led to speculation linking him with a move to other English Premier League clubs, but Lambert insists his star striker is staying put.

"There's no point in us being here if it's a case of bringing people in and then letting them go," Lambert told BBC Sport.

"There's no point in them coming for half a season or a year and then we let them go.

"We're trying to build something here which can take a few years and you need good players to achieve that."

Former Villa manager Martin O'Neill carried out a similar project at the club, guiding them to three consecutive top-six finishes.

But his side were dismantled with the sales of Gareth Barry, James Milner, Stewart Downing and Ashley Young.

Benteke, 22, has scored eight goals in 17 appearances for Villa this season after signing in a seven-million pound move from Genk in August.