Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill admits he's keen to see Martin Laursen sign a new contract.

"I met up with Martin's agents and spoke to them," he said. "There are ongoing talks at the moment and, in an ideal world, I think he'd like to stay if he could.

"But again, it's down to length of contract and terms being right - all those type of things.

"This is where players can exercise their right to choose. It's the one good thing among a number of crazy things that have happened over the last 15 to 20 years, players having their future in their hands towards the end of their contracts."

Despite his optimism, O'Neill is reluctant to have complete confidence that Laursen will sign his new deal.

He added: "Until players sign contracts, I wouldn't try to put any percentage on anything because I'd never be absolutely sure of what players are thinking."