Sacked Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo is on Aston Villa's radar.

The Daily Express says Villa have approached Di Matteo's representatives to enquire whether he would be interested in the job should they decide to ditch Paul Lambert - and the response has been encouraging.

Villa owner Randy Lerner will stand by under-fire Lambert if he can, even though the Scot is increasingly coming under attack from fans unhappy with the club's slide to 18th in the Premier League and the threat of an embarrassing Capital One Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Bradford.

Lerner knows, however, he cannot afford the financial disaster of Villa being relegated and the next three weeks are vital for Lambert, with league games against West Brom, Newcastle, Everton and West Ham. There is also the face-saving mission against Bradford and an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Millwall.