Craig Gordon
Curtis Davies Aston Villa are expected to make formal offers for the Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon and the West Bromwich Albion central defender Curtis Davies in the next 48 hours as Martin O'Neill seeks to reinforce his squad before Saturday's opening Premier League fixture against Liverpool. It is understood that the Villa manager is close to agreeing a deal for Gordon that values the player at £9m, and Albion's resolve will be tested with a bid close to £8m for Davies.Hearts rejected Sunderland's approach for Gordon last month because a large proportion of the fee was subject to clauses but it is believed the Edinburgh club will be tempted by Villa's bid that proposes £6m up front - £1m more than Sunderland were willing to pay - with £3m to follow in add-ons. Talks between Villa and Hearts are believed to have been far from straightforward but it is possible that Gordon's transfer will be agreed after tonight's match against Hibernian.
Villa's offer for Gordon would eventually see the club break the British transfer fee record for a goalkeeper, set in 2000, when Manchester United signed Fabien Barthez for £7.8m from Monaco. The fee might seem excessive for a 24-year-old who has never played in the Premiership but O'Neill, anxious to bring in a keeper before Thomas Sorensen's hamstring injury ruled him out of the Liverpool match, knows the Hearts captain well from his time in Scotland.
The Villa manager might have considered Liverpool's Scott Carson, expected to be second choice behind Pepe Reina, but sources close to the England international insist Rafael BenÃtez would not countenance another season-long loan after his spell at Charlton last season. That impasse means it would take a substantial offer to prise Carson from Anfield.
O'Neill will need to part with another considerable sum to recruit Davies, the England Under-21 international, from Albion. Villa's interest has been registered and the Championship club are bracing themselves for an offer. Davies has spoken strongly about his desire to leave The Hawthorns and secure a return to the Premier League but Villa will need to make an offer of at least £8m before Jeremy Peace, Albion's chairman, considers accepting.
Sources indicate that O'Neill is prepared to meet that valuation but the Villa manager is likely to make a bid that will rise to £8m, subject to player and club achievements. Albion will hold out for more money up front, although it is possible O'Neill will eventually seek to broker a player-plus-cash deal. Either way, Villa have supplanted Tottenham in the race to sign the 22-year-old.
Gareth Barry has warned Villa fans that it is likely to be at least four years before the club are competing in the Champions League. That might disappoint some supporters given the optimism that has coursed through the club since Randy Lerner took over as chairman and O'Neill as manager last year, but Villa's captain, who scored twice in Saturday's impressive 3-0 win over Internazionale, believes expectations must be realistic.
Asked whether he feared European nights might not return to Villa Park, Barry replied: "There is always the worry and, even playing [against Inter] on Saturday, you realise that things aren't going to happen overnight. We are not going to be playing the Inter Milans this year, probably not even next year. We realise that but we're playing in the best league in the world and our aim is to finish as high as possible."