Aston Villa are interested in signing Didier Drogba in a move that could pave the way for the shock January exit of Darren Bent, Goal.com has learned.The Midlands club have expressed an interest in swooping for the Chelsea veteran, who turns 34 in March.Drogba is out of contract in the summer and talks over an extension at Stamford Bridge have reached a stalemate, with the Londoners unwilling to exceed the one-year deal currently on the table.However, Villa have indicated they would be willing to give Drogba the two-year contract that he wants from Chelsea.Although Villa manager Alex McLeish has admitted he has limited funds to spend in this month’s transfer window, the sale of club-record signing Bent would free up the cash to match Drogba’s current salary of around £120,000-a-week.Goal.com understands that Villa are expecting a fight this month to hold on to Bent, who is attracting strongly rumoured interest from Liverpool.The Reds' director of football Damien Comolli is a big admirer of Bent and was influential in taking the player to Tottenham from Charlton Athletic in 2007 when the Frenchman was at White Hart Lane.Although Villa stress their prize asset is not for sale at any price, one source with knowledge of the situation said: “Villa are steeling themselves for bids for Bent this month. They are preparing for life without him and are seriously considering Drogba as a replacement.”McLeish is believed to have an uneasy relationship with Bent, despite the striker’s record of a goal every other game since his surprise move from Sunderland 12 months ago.The 27-year-old has scored a relatively meagre six Premier League goals this season but is gradually establishing himself at international level and is expected to be part of England’s Euro 2012 squad this summer.Villa paid £18 million rising to £24m for Bent and have privately indicated that they will need to recoup that outlay to justify his sale to their supporters, who watched Stewart Downing and Ashley Young be sold last summer.Potential replacements with proven Premier League pedigree are thin on the ground but Villa are closely monitoring Drogba’s contract situation.The Ivory Coast international is currently assessing his options, with strong interest in him from suitors including cash-rich Chinese and Russian clubs, the MLS and Serie A.He will be available for free in the summer and it is unlikely that Chelsea will ask for more than £3m this month for the player they brought to England from Marseille in 2004.