But Redknapp believes now is the right time for him to move on, claiming he has been forced out of the club by the supporters.
"I played him against Arsenal this season and he hadn't played for months," said Redknapp. "He'd been injured, he came back and played his first game in the Carling Cup and I thought he did well.
"Yet I felt the crowd was on him a bit - they were waiting for him to make a mistake, and it's not easy when you play like that. He was a bit low after the game, I could see that.
"He was disappointed and I just felt maybe it's time for him to move on.
"He could move on and do a fantastic job. That's my honest opinion. He can cross it, he can score goals, he can pick a pass. He's got that unbelievable delivery of the ball."
Bentley could be joined by Rangers striker Kenny Miller, for whom the Blues have agreed an initial fee of £600,000 that could eventually rise to £1.1m.
Miller, 31, played under McLeish at Rangers and is out of contract at the Scottish club in the summer.
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