Fabian Delph sale for £10 million would hit Aston Villa hard

The subject of release clauses seems to be the theme of Aston Villa's postseason. While there's still widespread reluctance to accept the club are serious about sticking resolutely to their £32.5 million valuation of Christian Benteke -- the prices reported for other players this summer suggests that's reasonable -- something new and nasty has emerged. It's been claimed Fabian Delph, the Villa captain, can leave for as little as £10M.

Delph's new contract -- a four-and-a-half-year extension -- was agreed and signed in January, and hailed as evidence that loyalty does still exist at the highest level in football. The midfielder's words at the time were powerful and uplifting -- Villa were his club, and he was proud to be a part of its long-term plans.

One theory is that the reported £10M clause became active if Villa were relegated. At the time, the club were in serious trouble at the bottom of the table and it's not unreasonable that Delph would have wanted a straightforward exit and way out of playing in the Championship. Another is that the clause kicks in if a club in the Champions League comes calling. This logic strikes me as odd. A cut-price, bargain fee for the richest clubs in the Premier League? For Manchester City, who have been linked most strongly with a move for Delph, £10M is loose change. If that's the case, it's a surprise the 25-year-old hasn't gone already.

Regardless of whether the report about the release clause is true, it's not the kind of headline any Villa fan wants to read and especially not when it's revealed shortly before midnight. It's also not a problem the manager wants to countenance. Tim Sherwood has a large enough task in terms of recruitment on his hands as it is this summer without the prospect of losing arguably the most influential player in his squad.

All players are replaceable, to a certain extent, even those who make up the spine of the first team. But while Villa can quite easily cover for Ron Vlaar when he leaves -- the Dutch centre-back's contract expires in a matter of days -- and Benteke's departure would bring in a large enough transfer fee to recruit three or four top-class players, the loss of Delph would create a sizable void.

Cold statistics don't really tell the full story. The midfielder has scored three league goals in over 100 league appearances for the club, and none last season. Yet it's hard to think of a more consistent performer in the previous three campaigns and it's even tougher to nominate a player who can impose himself on a game quite like the former Leeds man. He's become the heartbeat of this Villa team, a genuine driving force. At 25, he hasn't yet peaked. A virtual ever-present in the England squad -- and now very often a starter -- his transfer value should be way beyond £10M.

Villa's midfield looks particularly light anyway. Sherwood already needs a replacement for Tom Cleverley, who played pretty much every week in 2014-15 but ultimately opted for Everton. Carlos Sanchez still has to convince -- he continues to look a world-beater for Colombia but was inconsistent in the Premier League -- and Gary Gardner remains unproven at this level, though there are high hopes for him. Even if Delph stays, the manager probably needs two more midfielders and so he can do without the added headache of trying to find someone to step in for a player he intends to build his team around.

There have been links with new midfielders; one is Jordan Cousins at Charlton and another Tom Carroll at Tottenham. Both would be worth signing but neither could slot straight in for Delph, and Tottenham are renowned for playing hard ball when it comes to player sales: one of their current midfielders, Paulinho, is reportedly close to joining Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande for £15M. Compare and contrast that fee with the supposed amount Villa would get for Delph.

With the players due to report back for preseason training shortly, it's hoped that there are some incoming signings soon. So far, Sherwood has been successful in moving on those in the squad that he has no use for -- Andreas Weimann, Yacouba Sylla, Darren Bent and Matt Lowton. Others, such as Nicklas Helenius and Aleksandar Tonev, look set to be gone soon and there will probably be more. As expected, the rebuilding process is under way. But if Delph goes, too, for such a relatively low sum, the Villa manager will be faced with what may feel more like a complete renovation job.