Alex McLeish prepares £9m bid for Charlie Adam

Villa were today ready to hijack Liverpool's move for Charlie Adam as part of Alex McLeish's rebuilding job.

The Blackpool midfielder is available for £9m after the Tangerines' relegation to the Championship and Villa are ready to revive their interest after McLeish's appointment yesterday.

They were linked with a swoop in January and asked to be kept informed of developments with Liverpool also keen on the playmaker.

Reports suggested big spending Liverpool had entered into preliminary talks with Blackpool this week but sources close to Adam insisted he is yet to directly speak to any club.

McLeish gave Adam his Rangers debut in 2003 and he made 86 appearances for the Scottish giants.

The 52-year-old then handed the midfielder his Scotland bow in a 1-0 win against Austria in Vienna in 2007.

Blackpool are ready to cash in on the 25-year-old – whom they bought from Rangers for £500,000 in 2009 – despite triggering a 12-month extension to his contract in May.

Adam has made it clear he will not stay at Bloomfield Road following relegation and after moves to Liverpool and Tottenham collapsed in January.

Villa will have cash to spend when Ashley Young completes his £16m move to Manchester United and need to beef up their midfield after the exit of Nigel Reo-Coker.

McLeish, controversially appointed as Villa boss after quitting Blues on Sunday, spoke to owner Randy Lerner about transfer targets during his interview and has been linked with a swoop for former charge Scott Dann.

Meanwhile, Gabby Agbonlahor has pleaded with Villa fans to give McLeish a chance. They are still angry he joined from their bitter rivals – especially after Blues were relegated last season.

But the striker said: "To those Villa fans who don't seem to be happy with his appointment, my message is simply to give him a chance and see what he can do. He'll do well here. He'll do a good job for the club.

"For him to take on this challenge shows he has the belief that he can do a job here at Villa. It's a move that only a man with a lot of courage and self-belief would make and people have to respect that."