West Bromwich Albion fans in the Transfer Tavern could soon be turning to the whisky, as it looks like they could be facing a battle to keep young star Saido Berahino at the Hawthorns.
After barely keeping hold of the youngster last summer, the January transfer window could reignite fresh interest in the England forward, with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United among those interested.
Berahino has had an okay start to the season, where he is joint top-scorer with summer signing Salomon Rondon with three goals each. Despite not matching the heights that he did at this point last year, Berahino is still very much seen as one for the future.
Many clubs will again look to test Jeremy Peace’s nerve, as the West Brom chairman is renowned for his tough negotiating style.
Should Peace eventually decide to let Berahino go, he should still get a substantial amount of cash for replacements, below we picked five possible strikers to fill the void.
Hit Berahino below to see FIVE replacements for the England U21 international!
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Charlie Austin
Like Berahino, Austin was another English striker who enjoyed a fantastic season last year, where he fired 18 goals. Despite ultimately getting relegated with QPR, Austin arguably proved himself with this goal tally, and would be a fine option to replace Berahino.
Many clubs seemed to bulk at the high asking price for Austin in the summer, but QPR may lower this now, rather than risk losing him for free.
James Wilson
A loan move for James Wilson could be an option, who has so far seen little game time from Louis Van Gaal. After raising his squad number, it looked like Wilson would get a lot more opportunities, but so far he has barely had a sniff.
If United bring in more firepower in January, they could look to send Wilson on loan to gain some more experience.
Moussa Dembele
The 19-year-old is interesting several clubs with his recent performances for Fulham, where he has fired 8 goals so far this season. Given his age, Dembele is seen to have plenty of potential, and the Frenchman has also been attracting the interest of Tottenham Hotspur.
It is expected that Dembele will move to the Premier League sooner rather than later, and if Berahino was to join Tottenham, that could certainly pave the way for the Baggies.
Benik Afobe
The Wolves forward has also been attracting many with his performances, and was allegedly linked with a £12m move to Norwich City at the end of the summer transfer window.
However, the asking price could get lower as time goes on, and Afobe could make the relatively short journey to Wolves’ Black County rivals.
Dwight Gayle
Tony Pulis could raid his old club and make a move for Dwight Gayle, who has struggled to fully make his mark at Selhurst Park.
It appears that Gayle may not fully be in Alan Pardew’s long term plans, and the former Peterborough man could look to reignite his career with a man that he did pretty well under, when Pulis was in charge at Palace.
