Olof Mellberg is keen to sign a new contract at Aston Villa so that he can be a part of the 'big changes' at the club.

The Swedish international defender has less than a year left on his current deal, but Mellberg's agent is holding negotiations with the club.

The centre-back believes the future is bright at Villa following the arrival of new club owner Randy Lerner in 2006 and the appointment of manager Martin O'Neill last summer.

"It [contract negotiations] is in the hands of my agent and the club," Mellberg told Villa's official website.

"I see the club really moving in the right direction and I want to be a part of it.

"When you've been at the club for a long time, it's nice to see some changes and that's happened - especially last season with the new owner and the new manager.

"That was a really positive change and we've got the new training ground as well and it feels good, especially for us players who have been with the club for some time.

"It's always nice to see positive changes. It's almost like being at a new club and with the change in players.

"Within a year or two after I signed a lot of experienced players left and now we've got a lot of young players so there have been big changes."