Rumours continue to circulate around the future of Fernando Torres this summer with a move that could bring in anything between £50m-£70m. Whilst Liverpool fans will hate to see the back of their talismanic No.9, it begs the question as to who the hell does Roy Hodgson look to replace him with? It is certainly an unenviable task for any manager, but here are the three that I believe the Liverpool supremo should look to should the unthinkable happen:

Bryan Ruiz: The 24-year-old FC Twente forward and Costa Rica international was in fine form last season and has recently been linked to Hodgson’s Liverpool side in the press.

Ruiz was prolific last season and scored 24 goals for Eredivisie winners Twente in 34 games. He has also scored nine goals in 33 international appearances, which isn’t a bad record as Costa Rica are an unfancied side.

The Costa Rican is also versatile as he can play on the wing, as a supporting striker and as the main centre forward. The fact that he is able to cover so many positions could be useful for a club like Liverpool considering they are relatively cash-strapped and are in need of depth if they are to win back their top four place.

The forward’s impressive form over last season has led him to attract the attentions of many clubs including Liverpool, Fulham, Valencia and Sevilla.

He could be available to any potential attractor for around £12-15 million and he admits he could be leaving Twente this summer:

“There is a chance I will stay, but it is likely that I’m leaving. Certainly if I get a chance at an ambitious club, I would like to take it.”

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Stefan Kießling: The Germany international has been mooted as a potential foil for Torres and take some of the goal scoring burden off of the Spanish international, but he also has the potential to replace him.

The 26-year old enjoyed a good season for Bayern Leverkusen and scored 21 goals in the German Bundesliga last season (second highest scorer in the league).

We did not get to see Kießling much in South Africa even though he was part of Germany’s World Cup squad, but at 6ft 3 he is an able target man and is also blessed with great movement. For such a tall player the Leverkusen forward is fairly quick and likes to come deep and threaten defenders with his pace.

Kießling could be signed for around £14-16 million, which would leave plenty of change to strengthen other areas in the squad should Torres go for a vast transfer fee.

For Leverkusen he formed a more than useful partnership with his strike partner Patrick Helmes, so the Liverpool fans will hope he could be a useful foil for Torres (if he stays) or maybe for Reds’ new boy Milan Jovanovic.

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Edin Dzeko: The 24-year-old striker is in demand this summer and has been linked to a host of clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Juventus and AC Milan.

The reason why Dzeko has become one of the hottest properties in Europe is due to his form for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg. He was the top goal scorer in Germany last season scoring 29 goals in all competitions, with nine assists to his name.

Dzeko was one of 30 players nominated for the 2009 Ballon d’Or as well as finishing the Bundesliga top scorer.

The Bosnian is keen to leave Wolfsburg this summer in order to continue his improvement:

“I now want to represent a big club so I can develop further.

“This has now become my big desire. I hope and I believe VfL will let me leave now.

“I am aware of the clauses in my contract, but I have already said that this point in time would be too early. It is too early for other clubs.”

The downside to Dzeko is his price valuation as he is rated as a £30+ million player by his club and would cost a large proportion of any fee received by the potential sale of Torres. There would also be a lot of competition for his signature and it is thought that Dzeko prefers a move to AC Milan, or at least a club that are competing in the Champions League.

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The Anfield faithful won’t like speculating over the future of one of their stars and his potential replacements as they are desperate to hang onto him, but with Liverpool’s financial difficulties and ownership issues they could perhaps do with the cash.

Who do you think would be a good replacement for Torres should he leave Liverpool this summer?

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Click on image below to see the PORTUGAL babes at the World Cup