Aston Villa have been thwarted in their attempts to sign USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan after they failed to obtain a work permit for him.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill had lined up a £2million move for the Chivas USA custodian as he looked to bolster his goalkeeping options.

Celtic had also been linked with Guzan, but Villa stole in to try and lure the player to England.

However, their attempts to sign Guzan have been unsuccessful as a work-permit application has been rejected by the Home Office.

Guzan's application was automatically rejected as he has not played enough games for America having won just five caps to date.