O'Neill rules out striker swoop

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has blasted reports suggesting he has made a bid for Valencia striker Nikola Zigic.

Speculation has been rife that Villa are on the verge of doing a deal for the giant Serbian after his agent hinted at a transfer while Valencia officials have also said a move is possible.

However, O'Neill has completely dismissed all the transfer talk and says he is not interested.

"There's not a grain of truth in the story that we've put in an offer for the player and I don't know where it is coming from," O'Neill told the club's official website. "I don't even know who the player's agent is.

"I wouldn't normally comment but there have been so many stories claiming this as fact and people have been quoted. They're completely wide of the mark. So I felt I had to put the record straight."