The merry-go-round involving Premier League goalkeepers looks set to come to a halt with Blackburn's Brad Friedel in talks with Aston Villa and Tottenham's Paul Robinson signing a deal at Ewood Park.
Friedel has long been of interest to Villa manager Martin O’Neill and, while the 37-year-old would not be eligible to play in Saturday's Intertoto Cup tie, he may be a Villa player by the end of the weekend.
The US international hails from Cleveland, Ohio - the same city as Villa chairman Randy Lerner, and is a fan of the Cleveland Browns, the National Football League club of which Lerner is a part-owner.
O’Neill issued a statement confirming talks were about to get under way after Friedel was spotted at The Belfry Hotel - just a stone’s throw from Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training facility. The Villa boss said: “We have been given permission to talk to the player but there are still lots of things to happen.”
The anticipated transfer has been on the cards for a fortnight but it is understood Blackburn urged Villa to be patient whilst they set out to secure a replacement. That part of the deal looked set to be resolved last night with Blackburn securing a deal for Robinson, who has lost his place at White Hart Lane since the arrival of new manager Juande Ramos.
Villa have themselves been linked with a move for a Tottenham star in Moroccan-born defender Younes Kaboul. He had initially been linked with Portsmouth but has also been on the radar of Sunderland.
O’Neill last night refused to confirm reports that he was interested in the France Under-21 international, but Villa are known to be keen to bolster their defence after the loss of Olof Mellberg to Juventus. Curtis Davies remains on the sidelines through injury for at least another month while midfielder Craig Gardner is the most likely player to be called upon to shore up the right back position.
O’Neill said: “Our big task this year is to cut down the number of goals we concede. We have to try to cut out elementary mistakes that have led up to goals.
"We conceded too many goals last season. Scoring is not a problem. We have to try to reverse things, not by scoring less but by attempting to do better defensively.”
