Villa and Blues go for Charlie Adam

Villa were today locked in a bidding war with local rivals Birmingham over Blackpool playmaker Charlie Adam.

Manager Gerard Houllier is a big fan of the 25-year-old and reports coming out of Bloomfield Road today suggest a £2.5million Villa bid has already been rejected by the Seasiders.

Tangerines boss Ian Holloway is desperate to hang onto his best player but, with Birmingham also ready to return with a £3million offer, the midfielder is in demand and could leave before the weekend clash at Albion.

Blues manager Alex McLeish may hold the trump card as he has already worked with Adam at Glasgow Rangers and, when recently quizzed about the player, was particularly complementary.

He said at the time: "Charlie is a confident player and he has got great belief, he always did have, and a swagger about himself.

"He's not scared to try things on the pitch, he's been excellent for Blackpool and I'm really proud of him."