The subject of Christian Benteke is a difficult one. A player written off in December as a 'has been' target man, now a £30million pound striker with a host of clubs interested in his services.
Indeed, the Belgian's 13 goals in 16 games towards the end of last season have set tongues wagging, with the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham considering bids for the striker.
International teammates Eden Hazard and Nacer Chadli have spoken about bringing him to their respective teams, whilst his manager Tim Sherwood is said to be 'powerless' in his attempts to keep his star player at Villa Park.
If Villa do sell Benteke, they will obviously need to replace him, with a signing that can satisfy his absence of goals. So without further ado, let's take a look at four names that could replace him.
Charlie Austin
One of Villa's reported targets, Charlie Austin could prove to be an upgrade on Benteke, for a much cheaper price. Austin was the shining light in Queens Park Rangers' season, which ended in relegation. Scoring 18 league goals, five more than Benteke, the Englishman established himself as a leading striker and recieved an international call up as a result.
The fact that QPR are now in the Championship could make things easier in terms of Villa paying a lower fee, however they wouldn't be his only suitors, with West Ham, Newcastle and Everton all said to be interested.
Austin may not offer the same physicality that Benteke does, but it could be suggested that he is a better finisher, offers more off the ball and is more consistent. He'd certainly cost less, and would give Villa the allowance to strengthen in other areas.
Michu
Spanish frontman Michu is another person that could fill the void left by Benteke, if Villa looked to bring him in from fellow Premier League club Swansea City.
Signed three years ago by the Swans for just £2million, the striker enjoyedd a fruitful first season on English soil as he managed over 20 goals in all competitions. However, the success of Wilfried Bony made his second season a frustrating one, leading to him being loaned to Italian side Napoli for the past year.
Now he has returned to Wales, Michu is seeking talks with chairman Huw Jenkins about his future, and is likely to be told that he can leave the club.
At the age of 29, he's not a long term option, but could be worth any outlay through the motivation of still having a point to prove. Standing 6ft tall, not only would he be able to lead the line on his own, but he can also hold the ball and pass it well, allowing Villa's creative midfielders to make runs off him.
Loic Remy
An extremely ambitious target, Loic Remy would be an absolutely ideal replacement for Benteke, should he leave.
The Chelsea striker currently has no reason to leave Stamford Bridge. He is a firm second choice to the prolific Diego Costa, but the Spaniard's injury problems led to Remy scoring nine goals in 17 games last season.
However, the situation could change if Chelsea land the transfer of Radamel Falcao. The Colombian forward is a player liked by manager Jose Mourinho, and could relegate Remy to third choice if he was brought in, with wonderkid Patrick Bamford also potentially offering competition.
Remy's record speaks for itself. Since arriving in England around 30 months ago, he's scored 27 goals in 45 Premier League starts, an impressive record considering the majority of those games were for lowly QPR and Newcastle.
The Villans would most likely need to pay around £15 million for his services, and would need to tempt Remy to make the jump down with a huge wage packet. This may not be the problem that many think it is, with Sherwood aware he has the funds to break the clubs wage structure in order to keep Benteke, so could do something similar for the Frenchman.
Demba Ba
With the Senegalese striker's camp making murmers that the player wants another crack in England, Demba Ba could be a shrewd signing for Villa, if they can prize him away from the lure of other clubs.
After rattling in 43 goals in 77 Premier League appearances, Ba waved goodbye to the Premier League last summer, moving to Besiktas. He's shown no signs of slowing down since moving to Turkey, and scored 23 goals in 37 games last season, knocking Liverpool out of the Europa League in the process.
He's not much shorter than Benteke so has the physicality required to suit Villa's style, whilst also being able to slot into a one or two striker system. For a long time last season Villa were the lowest scorers in the top four English divisons, and Ba's cool finishing under pressure could prevent that happening again.