Aston Villa confident deal for Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given is close

By Telegraph staff and agencies8:04AM BST 08 Jul 2011 Villa are poised to replace one veteran in Brad Friedel with another in 35-year-old Given who wants the chance to play first-team football again. The two clubs have held talks and sources close to Villa are optimistic a deal will be finalised sooner rather than later. Given was the number one at Newcastle for more than a decade before moving to Eastlands two and a half years ago. But the emergence of England keeper Joe Hart who played under McLeish when on loan at Birmingham cost him his place last season. Personal terms are not expected to be a major stumbling block even though Given is reported to be on £80,000 a week at City. Related Articles

Source: Telegraph