Brad Friedel’s future remains in the balance today with no guarantee he will sign a new contract with Villa despite the offer of a new one-year deal.

The club are still waiting for a response from the veteran goalkeeper, who turns 40 tomorrow, and a decision will depends largely on whether the offer is substantial enough for what could largely be a back-up role.

With West Ham now relegated from the Premier League, Villa are likely to make a move for Robert Green when the transfer window reopens.

Friedel has recently been linked with a move to former club Liverpool with Kenny Dalglish seeking an experienced goalkeeper behind first choice Jose Reina, and the American’s agent Tony McGill insisted his client will make a decision after Villa’s final game of the campaign.

McGill said: “I will be holding talks with Brad next week, once the season has finished and we will then go over his options.

“At the moment, he is focused on Villa’s final game, but also the birth of his next child which is imminent.

“I have read the newspaper speculation, but we are not going to talk about any clubs until the season has finished.”

Villa are also preparing to consider an offer from Leicester for Emile Heskey, after speculation the 33-year-old striker is open to the possibility of a return to his boyhood club.

Any potential move will hinge on whether manager Gerard Houllier – who is a keen admirer of Heskey – is able to return to the Villa dugout after his health problems.

Heskey’s team-mate James Collins admitted that Villa must fight to keep their stars at the club, with the futures of Ashley Young and Nigel Reo-Coker also set to be addressed over the next few weeks.

Collins said: “You obviously want to keep all your best players, you don’t want to be selling them.

“We’ve got a fantastic squad here and all the players are doing a fantastic job, so we’d like to keep our best ones and move on next season.

“We have just been concentrating on the games, a lot of people behind the scenes and speaking to the manager, so I’m sure Gary McAllister will let us know soon what is going on.“