Sherwood looks again to Ligue 1 for Benteke transfer replacement

With Christian Benteke having officially joined Liverpool, the search is on for Aston Villa to find a new striker.

A number of outlets, including the Daily Mail and the Metro have today reported that Aston Villa are interested in Bordeaux's Uruguayan striker Diego Rolan.

The 22 year old striker has scored 17 goals in 61 games in Ligue 1 since his arrival at Bordeaux in 2013. But more impressively, after a difficult first season in France, Rolan managed to find the net 15 times in 28 games in his sophomore season. This form prompted interest from the likes of Newcastle United, but following their signing of another striker in Aleksandar Mitrovic, Villa may be best placed to secure the signing. Sources vary on the potential cost of the transfer, with numbers ranging from £10-15 million. Regardless, following the sale of Christian Benteke, it's money that Villa have, for a transfer in a position that Villa need.

Tim Sherwood is of course no stranger to scouting players from France's Ligue 1, having already signed Idrissa Gueye and Jordan Amavi from French sides Lille and Nice respectively. In addition, Villa have also been linked with Lorient striker Jordan Ayew in recent weeks. This shows that Tim Sherwood is not afraid to look overseas for new talent, and with a number of players coming in from the same country, it should theoretically be easier for them to settle in at the club.

On the one hand, I'm inclined to believe these rumours have some substance about them, firstly because of the number of media outlets that are reporting on it. In addition, it's obvious that Villa are after a striker, given the recent departures. On the other hand, we can expect to see a large number of striker rumours, now that Villa have both a need for a striker and plenty of money to spend. So, there's no guarantee of any truth to it, but personally I'd rather this be true than the news linking the club to both Charlie Austin and Emmanuel Adebayor.