Aston Villa are lining up a deal for Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin.

The People says Villa chief Martin O'Neill is looking for a new centre-half - and is closing in on Portsmouth's classy Frenchman Distin.

Villa have teed up a deal for Distin, who can leave Pompey to get his £60,000-a-week wages off the payroll.

The fee is low - around £2.5m - but like many other deals, Villa need O'Neill to make the final decision.