Martin Laursen is set for contract talks with Villa before Christmas.

Manager Martin O’Neill revealed today he is going to restart discussions with the 30-year-old Danish international who is out of contract at the end of the season.

“We will certainly be having discussions with Martin before Christmas,” said O’Neill. “We are in the throes of things at the moment.”

Laursen has been an ever present this season and been in outstanding form after battling back from a serious knee injury.

The former AC Milan defender is one of six Villa players out of contract in the summer along with Thomas Sorensen, Olof Mellberg, Wilfred Bouma, Moustapha Salifou and Patrik Berger.

The club have taken out an 12-month option to extend Luke Moore’s deal, while keeper Sorensen has stated his intentions to quit Villa.

O’Neill says he plans to see every player whose contract is up.

“I will be sitting down with all the players who are out of contract at the end of the season,” he said.

“We have a lot of things on at this minute. We have a number of issues on the agenda.

“We can call on options like we did with Luke Moore. I will be speaking to everyone.”

O’Neill added: “Luke turned down the terms offered him and we took up the option, and like, anything else, that’s the situation as it stands at the moment.

“So we will obviously be looking at things. We have to have a look at a number of situations in the foreseeable future.

“But at the moment all I will say is that the players we have are all under contract, even to the end of the season or to the end of next, so we are OK.”