Aston Villa to renew interest in Manchester City's Micah Richards

Richards was the subject of an £8 million bid from Villa in January but City were unwilling to sell, particularly as they experienced difficulty in acquiring a replacement, with enquiries for Everton's Joleon Lescott and England captain John Terry coming to nothing. However, Richard's indifferent form for the club, and the likelihood that further recruits will be bought by manager Mark Hughes in the summer, mean Villa are hopeful a deal can be struck, reports the Mirror. Laursen, 31, a pivotal figure in Villa mounting a credible challenge to the established top four at the summit of the Premier League, has been hit by a succession of knee injuries. Currently sidelined, the former AC Milan player faces another bout of surgery, but is expected back next month. It remains to be seen, however, how his knee will stand up to the high volume of games expected of a successful English side. As Villa continue their Uefa Cup campaign this week, with the first leg of their tie against 2005 winners CSKA Moscow, O'Neill's defensive troubles are compounded by a shoulder injury to Curtis Davies. The centre-back picked up the knock in Villa's FA Cup defeat to Everton at the weekend. 'Curtis was in a lot of pain,' said O'Neill. 'His shoulder came out of place and luckily, with a bit of manipulation, it got back in again. 'We'll have to look at that, I think it's happened to him once before.'Meanwhile, Stiliyan Petrov is poised to sign a new deal at Villa Park. Petrov has been one of Villa's stand-out performers this season, and has impressed after a slow start to his career in English football after joining from Celtic two-and-a-half years ago.

Source: Telegraph