Aston Villa are hoping to open talks with Steve Sidwell this week when the Chelsea midfielder returns from holiday.Reports last week claimed that a fee in the region of £5million had already been agreed, but they proved to be wide of the mark and Villa need to get that sorted before gaining permission to speak to him.
Chelsea are happy to let Sidwell move on and the player himself is open to a switch after struggling to play regular first-team football during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Villa are keen to move quickly as Everton and Middlesbrough are also said to be keen on the player.
