8 Transfers Who Could Replace Christian Benteke at Aston Villa

Who could fill the void left by the £32 million-rated striker?

By Lewis Rymond /

With the transfer of Christian Benteke to Liverpool imminent it's no surprise that several potential replacements have been linked with Aston Villa. Unlike the low fee seen in the Delph saga, Villa will receive good money for the Belgian international's services which will at least be of some comfort to Villa fans. It's unlikely Villa will spend the sort of money they spent on Darren Bent in 2011 (reportedly around £24 million) but the departure of the club's leading scorer will hit the club hard if they fail to sign a decent replacement. The Belgian has been single-handedly responsible for maintaining Villa's Premier League status during the last three seasons. Recent signings of Jordan Amavi and Idrissa Gueye have at least shown that the Villains are perhaps more willing to spend than they have been in recent years, and with the £32.5 million in hand exciting options could be explored. When the Belgium international was signed from Genk in 2012 he was relatively unknown, so it will be interesting to see if Tim Sherwood opts for a player for the future or an experienced goalscorer. Transfer outgoings this season have made Sherwood's first ever preseason as manager particularly difficult, but with money in the bank there could be several attractive options for the ex-Tottenham boss to consider. Here are eight players who could help get the goals for Villa next season.