Sidwell: Villa agree fee
Aston Villa have agreed a £5.5million deal for Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell.
The former Reading star only moved to Stamford Bridge last summer on a free transfer, but he was unable to force a regular place in Chelsea's first XI.
And after only seven Premier League starts for the Blues, Sidwell has been offered a move to Villa Park.
Villa boss Martin O'Neill is keen to bolster his small squad as he attempts to build a side capable of a top-six Premier League finish next season.
But, Sidwell, 25, could also be viewed as a possible replacement for Villa captain Gareth Barry, who is a transfer target of Liverpool.

Wolves 1-4 Arsenal - McCarthy
Wolves 1-4 Arsenal - Wenger
Blackburn 3-1 Portsmouth - Allardyce
Aston Villa 5-1 Bolton - Megson
Tottenham 2-0 Sunderland - Redknapp
Man City 3-3 Burnley - Coyle
Tottenham 2-0 Sunderland - Bruce
Man City 3-3 Burnley - Hughes
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Sunday 8th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Hull vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Everton |
| 15:00 | Wigan vs Fulham |
| 16:00 | Chelsea vs Man Utd |
| Monday 9th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Liverpool vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 21st November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Liverpool vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Aston Villa |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Wolverhampton |
| 15:00 | Hull vs West Ham |
| 15:00 | Sunderland vs Arsenal |
| 17:30 | Man Utd vs Everton |
| Sunday 22nd November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Bolton vs Blackburn |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Wigan |
| 16:00 | Stoke vs Portsmouth |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Everton |
| 20:00 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Hull |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 7th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wolverhampton 1 - 4 Arsenal | |
| Man City 3 - 3 Burnley | |
| Tottenham 2 - 0 Sunderland | |
| Blackburn 3 - 1 Portsmouth | |
| Aston Villa 5 - 1 Bolton | |
| Wednesday 4th November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Sunday 1st November | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Birmingham 0 - 0 Man City | |
| Saturday 31st October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Sunderland 2 - 2 West Ham | |
| Portsmouth 4 - 0 Wigan | |
| Bolton 0 - 4 Chelsea | |
| Stoke 2 - 2 Wolverhampton | |
| Fulham 3 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Burnley 2 - 0 Hull | |
| Everton 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Arsenal 3 - 0 Tottenham | |
| Sunday 25th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 2 - 2 Arsenal | |
| Man City 2 - 2 Fulham | |
| Liverpool 2 - 0 Man Utd | |
| Bolton 3 - 2 Everton | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 11 | 27 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 11 | 25 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 11 | 25 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | 22 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 12 | 21 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 11 | 20 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 11 | 18 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 12 | 17 |
| 9 | Stoke City | 11 | 16 |
| 10 | Burnley | 12 | 16 |
| 11 | Fulham | 10 | 14 |
| 12 | Wigan Athletic | 11 | 13 |
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers | 11 | 13 |
| 14 | Everton | 10 | 12 |
| 15 | Birmingham City | 11 | 11 |
| 16 | Bolton Wanderers | 11 | 11 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 11 | 10 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 | 10 |
| 19 | Hull City | 11 | 8 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 12 | 7 |
Sunderland fan Lucinda Gittins was strutting her stuff in the Soccer AM studios this week.
With Didier Drogba in frightening form, Paul Merson expects Chelsea to beat Man Utd on Sunday.
Sir Alex Ferguson admits that he has had offers to manage abroad but is adamant that 'you don't leave Manchester United'.
Sunderland have revealed Craig Gordon suffered a fractured arm in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.
Aston Villa and Tottenham made their Champions League aspirations clear as Arsenal also won but Man City were held by Burnley.
Chelsea go into the match with Man Utd at Stamford Bridge in arguably their best form of the season.
Arsenal maintained their recent fine form on Saturday as they eased to a 4-1 victory over Wolves.