Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert is ready to continue his clearout in the coming weeks.

The Birmingham Mail says Lambert and the board are keen to prune the playing staff and will attempt to find new clubs for at least half-a-dozen players before resuming their recruitment drive.

Darren Bent, Stephen Ireland, Shay Given and Alan Hutton are surplus to requirements while Brett Holman, Barry Bannan and Nathan Delfouneso could also be up for sale.

Villa do wish to strengthen further in other positions, believed to include full-back and central midfield, and will look to potentially do more business during July and August.