Villa set to snap up Guzan

Brad Guzan, the latest in a growing line of coveted US goalkeepers, is expected to sign for Villa next week.

The 23-year-old, a long-standing target for manager Martin O'Neill, will sign for about £1m and fill one of the two goalkeeping vacancies at the club for next season.

Villa taoday announced they have agreed a fee with Guzan's club, Chivas USA.

The news comes six months after Guzan's hopes of joining Villa in January were wrecked by work permit problems.

With the red tape now sorted, Villa hope they have recruited the next big American goalkeeping talent heading for a major career in Europe in the footsteps of Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel and Tim Howard.

The transfer will complete a meteoric rise for the 6ft 4in keeper who was an unknown on the US football scene less than three years ago.

Mexican businessman Jorge Vergara, a part-owner of the Chivas MLS team Guzan is leaving has confirmed a deal, has been struck.

"He's leaving for Europe, to England specifically, and we're very happy and very glad that another Chivas player is going to Europe," said Vergara.

Guzan added: "It's been absolutely unbelievable. I know there's some talks going on and obviously we're kind of seeing what happens in the next couple of days here."

Villa are to give new signing Steve Sidwell a run-out in the concluding football of the pre-season trip to Switzerland when they face Swiss Super League side FC Zurich tonight.

The long-running Gareth Barry saga took a new twist with reports claiming Arsenal were planning to hijack the deal – although this was being viewed in Liverpool as a ruse to try to force them closer to Villa's £18m valuation.