Villa completed the signing Warnock

Aston Villa completed the signing of Blackburn defender Stephen Warnock on Thursday night for an undisclosed fee - believed to be around £8 million.

Warnock has put pen to paper on a four-year contract which will keep him at Villa Park until the summer of 2013.

The 27 year-old passed a medical and agreed personal terms on Thursday afternoon and could come into contention for Sunday's home Premier League game with Fulham.

O'Neill, who signed Newcastle defender Habib Beye earlier this month, is also set to add Manchester City skipper Richard Dunne to his squad.

Villa have reached agreement with City over the fee for 29-year-old Dunne.

Warnock underwent a medical and agreed personal terms at Villa earlier on Thursday ahead of making the move to Midlands club.

A Villa statement reads: "Aston Villa have completed the signing of Stephen Warnock on a four-year deal.

"We can also confirm that a fee has been agreed with Manchester City for defender Richard Dunne. The player will now discuss terms on a move to Villa Park."

Warnock has made 87 appearances in two years at Ewood Park since moving from Liverpool.

He earned his one England cap to date as a substitute against Trinidad and Tobago during the summer of 2008.

O'Neill has been searching relentlessly to strengthen his back four after inspirational captain Martin Laursen was forced to retire through injury.

His numbers were further reduced after he agreed to off-load central defender Zat Knight to Bolton.

Villa also agreed a fee with Portsmouth for Sylvain Distin but he is likely to move to Everton as a replacement for Joleon Lescott.

Dunne is not the paciest of defenders but a solid sort of player who will compliment the club's only other two centre-backs Carlos Cuellar and Curtis Davies who is dogged by a shoulder problem.

O'Neill has so far spent only a net £6 million after buying Stewart Downing, Fabian Delph and Habib Beye for £21 million and off-loading Gareth Barry and Knight for a combined £15 million.

But the Midlands club will splash out up to £8 million for Warnock plus £6 million for Dunne.

Dunne has spent the last nine years at City, clocking up close to 300 appearances, but the arrival of Kolo Toure and Lescott means his days look numbered as a first choice player.

He is a whole-hearted and committed player who has been sent off eight times in the Premier League, equalling the record number of dismissals held by Patrick Vieira and Duncan Ferguson.

Warnock is relishing the challenge of breaking into the Barclays League top four after making the move from Blackburn to Villa.

He told AVTV: "The main aim is pushing for that top four spot. That's the ambition.

"The manager is buying some really talented players - young and ambitious - and I'm sure they will see that top four spot as a target and goal.

"Playing in Europe is important - playing against the top players on the continent is fantastic - and there's no better stage to do that than on the Champions League.

"If we could do that, it would be a great achievement."

Distin agrees Everton deal

Everton have agreed a deal to sign defender Sylvain Distin from Portsmouth. Everton are armed with funds after selling Joleon Lescott to Manchester City for £22 million, and Distin will be effectively a like-for-like replacement. The fee involved has not been disclosed, but 31-year-old Distin has agreed a three-year contract and will sign - providing he passes his medical.

Everton chief executive Robert Elstone said: "After Sylvain made it clear his preferred destination was Goodison, the chairman [Bill Kenwright] moved quickly to finalise the deal - and Sylvain is now on his way to Merseyside to undergo a medical."

Chelsea aim on Jonathan de Guzman

Arnesen watched 21-year-old forward De Guzman score twice for the Rotterdam side in their 4-0 home win over Roda JC at the weekend.

And Arnesen believes Chelsea can sign the Dutch under-21 international on £4 million deal.

De Guzman, first watched by Chelsea two years ago, only has one year left on his contract. Chelsea signed Salomon Kalou from the same club three years ago.

Meanwhile, David Beckham has been linked with a surprise reunion with Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.

Beckham was a success under Ancelotti at AC Milan, and former England manager Glenn Hoddle believes the pair could again work together at Stamford Bridge.

"Ancelotti used him well at Milan, so who knows? He could end up at Chelsea. I think he’d be under the nose of Capello, and at Chelsea with Ancelotti there...he’s worked with him before," said Hoddle.

“He’s obviously got to look at whether David can add something to his squad. But it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.

“All he’s got to do is find a home for a short period of time where he’s at a standard where the manager’s happy that he’s shown he’s capable of playing against the best in the world. What better place is there for him to do that than in the Premier League?”

Villa have agreed a fee for Richard Dunne

Aston Villa have agreed a fee with Manchester City for defender Richard Dunne.

The 29-year-old Republic of Ireland international is now negotiating with Villa over personal terms.

Dunne's future at Eastlands looked uncertain following the arrival of Joleon Lescott from Everton this week.

Dunne was in the team that defeated newly-promoted Wolves last weekend but that looks likely to have been his final match for City.

Club captain Dunne joined City from Everton for £3 million in October 2000.

It was Stuart Pearce who handed him the captain's armband at the start of the 2006/07 season.

Dunne was on the pitch for every minute of every game that season, both league and cup, and went on to land fans' player-of-the-season honours for the third successive time. Twelve months later, he made history by picking up the coveted award for the fourth time.

The big defender continued as City captain under Sven-Goran Eriksson and Mark Hughes and is still a vital member of the Republic of Ireland team.

Premier League transfer rumours

Every day Fantasy League will scour the newspapers and weblogs to bring you the latest transfer rumours from the Premier League. Who's in, who's out and how will it affect your Fantasy League selection?

Arsenal

Arsenal are interested in signing Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul after his opening day antics for the Magpies on Saturday. However Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has said he has trust in his current squad and that no new signings are immanent.


Aston Villa

Aston Villa have again been linked with a move for Middlesbrough striker Tuncay. Villa boss Martin O'Neill could also be set to renew his interest in Tuncay's Boro team-mate David Wheater. Meanwhile, O'Neill has revealed youngster Fabian Delph is ready to make an immediate impact on the first-team following his arrival from Leeds.


Birmingham

Birmingham have completed the signing of Irish winger James O'Shea from Galway City for an undisclosed fee. The midfielder was Galway's top scorer last year and has now secured his dream move to the Premier League. Birmingham are unlikely to capture fellow Irish winger Stephen Hunt though as it seems Hull City have emerged as favourites to capture the Reading man. It seems Birmingham may opt for a 4-5-1 formation this season with James McFadden playing behind a central striker.


Blackburn

Blackburn may now face competition for the signing of Nantes midfielder Aurelien Capoue from Bolton Wanderers. The player is available for a season-long loan and although some reports had suggested Blackburn were close the deal, it now seems back in the balance. Danish international Michael Silberbauer is another target according to reports in Holland that claim Rovers are tracking the right-midfielder, who is currently playing for Utrecht.


Bolton

Bolton are trying to hijack Blackburn's attempts to sign Nantes midfielder Aurelien Capoue on loan. The Guadeloupe international seemed close to a move to Ewood Park but Gary Megson is now trying to scupper that deal after learning of the 27-year-old's availability.


Burnley

Burnley are looking at launching a bid for Reading defender Andre Bikey, but only a fee of over £2.5m is expected to capture the Cameroon centre-back. Meanwhile Martin Paterson has given the Clarets a boost by returning to full training having missed three weeks of pre-season training.


Chelsea

Reports suggest Chelsea are set to make an offer for Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery worth £55m, which would break the British transfer record. Meanwhile, there is also speculation that the Blues' made an unsuccessful bid for Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi.


Everton

Everton have rejected a transfer request from in-demand defender Joleon Lescott. Manchester City have been very aggressive in their attempts to sign the England defender and Lescott has asked to leave, but Toffees boss David Moyes is adamant that no players will be sold.


Fulham

Roy Hodgson has told Arsenal they will have to pay £15m for Brede Hangeland after the defender was linked with a move to the Gunners. However the giant defender has declared that he is in no rush to leave Craven Cottage despite recently turning down a new contract. Meanwhile Fulham edged closer to the £2.5m capture of Almeria striker Kalu Uche.


Hull City

With a deal for Henri Camara almost done, Hull are set to switch their attentions from attack, to midfield and are reportedly interested in Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt. The Tigers are also monitoring former Liverpool midfielder Boudewijn Zenden, who currently plays for Marseille.


Liverpool

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is a doubt for Sunday's trip to Tottenham after pulling out of the England squad with a groin strain. Meanwhile, boss Rafael Benitez believes it could be a huge year for new signing Glen Johnson who he thinks will shine for club and country in this World Cup year.


Manchester City

Manchester City may have to give up on their bid to land Joleon Lescott after Everton rejected a formal transfer request from the defender. Another target, West Ham's Matthew Upson has rejected an offer of a new contract prompting rumours he could be trying to engineer a move to Eastlands. Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin is also reportedly on the radar.


Manchester United

Ben Foster has been forced to pull out of England's friendly with Holland on Wednesday night. The goalkeeper suffered what has been described as a minor injury in the Community Shield defeat to Chelsea. It is another blow in his quest to be Manchester United's number one and he now faces a battle against time to be fit for Sunday's game against Birmingham.


Portsmouth

Portsmouth have approached Lyon with a bid to take Sunderland target John Mensah on a season-long loan deal, although the French club would prefer to sell the player. Niko Kranjcar has announced he will not be signing a new contract, increasing speculation that Pompey could be tempted to cash in now because the Croatian star has just one year left on his current deal.


Stoke City

Everton have rejected a £5m bid from Stoke for young striker James Vaughan according to news sources in Liverpool. Stoke reportedly bid £2m up front for the talented striker with the fee rising to £5m based on appearances. Andy Wilkinson has welcomed speculation linking the club with a new right-back saying he'd welcome the competition.


Sunderland

Sunderland have refused an approach by Coventry City to bring Jordan Henderson back to the Ricoh Arena on a loan deal, as Henderson is expected to feature for the Black Cats in the Premier League this year. Sunderland have also made an offer for Lyon defender John Mensah, although the amount offered so far has failed to meet the French club's valuation.


Tottenham

New signing Sebastian Bassong has been cleared to play for Tottenham against Liverpool on Sunday despite carrying a suspension from his time at Newcastle. The defender was sent off at the end of the season, but Spurs have released a statement saying he is eligible to play for them because he received his red card playing for Newcastle.


West Ham

Radoslav Kovac is set for a permanent move to West Ham after a successful loan spell last season. The Czech midfielder could move in a £1.5m deal from Spartak Moscow. However, as Kovac comes in Matthew Upson could be on his way out with Manchester City planning a tempting £15m for the defender.


Wigan

Wigan midfielder Olivier Kapo is closing in on a move to Nice after finding his first-team opportunities limited at the DW Stadium. With the transfer window open for just another couple of weeks Kapo is keen to get the ball rolling and after hearing of interest from the French club has made his feelings clear.


Wolves

Wolves may beat Portsmouth to the signing of Modeste M'Bami, after the midfielder has been on trial for three weeks at Fratton Park and still hasn't been offered a contract. Meanwhile Wanderers latest pre season friendly ended in defeat when they created a host of chances against Real Valladolid, but lost 2-0.

BPL transfer window 2009/10

Barclays Premier League clubs have been busy in the transfer market over the summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo's world-record £80m switch from Manchester United to Real Madrid captured the headlines with the Red Devils quickly spending some of the income on Wigan Athletic winger Antonio Valencia and also bringing in Michael Owen as a free agent from Newcastle United and Gabriel Obertan for an undisclosed fee from Bordeaux.

Neighbours Manchester City have been eager to bring in new recruits, spending big on Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers. They have also snapped up Carlos Tevez who left local rivals Manchester United.

New Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has brought in Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow while Liverpool have splashed out on Glen Johnson from Portsmouth.

Newly-promoted sides Birmingham City, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all been swift to strengthen in a bid to ensure survival in the top flight.




IN: Thomas Vermaelen (Ajax, undisclosed)

OUT: Amaury Bischoff (released), Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City, undisclosed), Kolo Toure (Manchester City, undisclosed)





IN: Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough, undisclosed), Fabian Delph (Leeds United, undisclosed)

OUT: Gareth Barry (Manchester City, £12m), Stuart Taylor (Manchester City, undisclosed), Zat Knight (Bolton Wanderers, undisclosed)





IN: Christian Benitez (Santos Laguna, undisclosed), Scott Dann (Coventry City, undisclosed), Joe Hart (Manchester City, loan), Giovanny Espinoza (Barcelona Sporting Club, undisclosed), Roger Johnson (Cardiff City, £5m), Lee Bowyer (West Ham United, free), Barry Ferguson (Glasgow Rangers, £1.25m)

OUT: Mehdi Nafti (Aris, free), Stephen Kelly (Fulham, undisclosed), Robin Shroot (Burton Albion, loan), Radhi Jaidi (released)





IN: Elrio van Heerden (Brugge, undisclosed), Gael Givet (Marseille, undisclosed), Lars Jacobsen (Everton, free), Steven N'Zonzi (Amiens SC, undisclosed), Franco Di Santo (Chelsea, loan)

OUT: Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City, undisclosed), Matt Derbyshire (Olympiakos, undisclosed) Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth, free), Josh O'Keefe (Walsall, undisclosed)





IN: Sean Davis (Portsmouth, free transfer), Paul Robinson (West Bromwich Albion, loan), Zat Knight (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Sam Ricketts (Hull City, undisclosed)

OUT: Blerim Dzemaili (Torino, undisclosed)





IN: Steven Fletcher (Hibernian, £3m), David Edgar (Newcastle United, free), Tyrone Mears (Derby County, £500,000), Richard Eckersley (Manchester United, to be decided), Brian Easton (Hamilton Academical, £350,000)

OUT: Chris Mahon (Tranmere Rovers, free)





IN: Daniel Sturridge (Manchester City, undisclosed), Ross Turnbull (Middlesbrough, free), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow, undisclosed)

OUT: Ben Sahar (Espanyol, undisclosed), Lee Sawyer (Southend United, loan), Slobodan Rajkovic (FC Twente, loan), Sergio Tejera (Real Mallorca, undisclosed), Franco Di Santo (Blackburn Rovers, loan)





IN: Shkodran Mustafi (Hamburg, undisclosed), Anton Peterlin (Ventura County Fusion, undisclosed), Jo (ManchesterCity, loan)

OUT: Lars Jacobsen (Blackburn Rovers, free), Nuno Valente (released) Andy van der Meyde (released)





IN: Stephen Kelly (Birmingham City, undisclosed), Bjorn Helge Riise (Lillestrom, undisclosed)

OUT: Moritz Voltz (released), Collins John (released)





IN: Steven Mouyokolo (Boulogne, undisclosed)

OUT: Dean Windass (released), Ryan France (released), Michael Bridges (released), John Welsh (released), Sam Ricketts (Bolton Wanderers, undisclosed)





IN: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth, undisclosed), Chris Mavinga (Paris St Germain, undisclosed), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid, undisclosed)

OUT: Paul Anderson (Nottingham Forest, £250,000), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid, undisclosed)





IN: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa, £12m), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers, undisclosed), Stuart Taylor (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Carlos Tevez (free agent), Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, undisclosed), Kolo Toure (Arsenal, undisclosed)

OUT: Joe Hart (Birmingham City, loan), Gelson Fernandes (St Etienne, undisclosed), Jo (Everton, loan), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea, undisclosed), Danny Mills (released), Dietmar Hamann (released), Michael Ball (released), Darius Vassell (released), Felipe Caicedo (Sporting Lisbon, loan), Ched Evans (Sheffield United, undisclosed), Shaleum Logan (Tranmere Rovers, loan), Elano (Galatasaray, undisclosed), Valeri Bojinov (Parma, loan)





IN: Antonio Valencia (Wigan Athletic, undisclosed), Michael Owen (Newcastle United, free), Gabriel Obertan (Bordeaux, undisclosed), Mame Biram Diouf (Molde FK, undisclosed)

OUT: Carlos Tevez (released), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, £80m), Rodrigo Possebon (Braga, loan), Lee Martin (Ipswich Town, undisclosed), Fraizer Campbell (Sunderland, £3.5m rising up to £6m), Richard Eckersley (Burnley, to be decided), Manucho (Real Valladolid, undisclosed)





IN: Aaron Mokoena (Blackburn Rovers, free), Steve Finnan (Espanyol, free)

OUT: Djimi Traore (Monaco, undisclosed), Glen Johnson (Liverpool, undisclosed), Andre Blackman (Bristol City, free), Sean Davis (Bolton, free), Noe Pamarot (released), Lauren (released), Glen Little (released), Jerome Thomas (released), Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo (Standard Liege, free), Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur, undisclosed).





IN: Dean Whitehead (Sunderland, undisclosed)

OUT:





IN: Fraizer Campbell (Manchester United, £3.5m rising up to £6m), Paulo Da Silva (Toluca, undisclosed), Lorik Cana (Marseille, undisclosed)

OUT: Greg Halford (Wolverhampton Wanderers, undisclosed), Michael Chopra (Cardiff City, undisclosed), Peter Hartley (Hartlepool United, free), Darren Ward (retired), Dwight Yorke (released), David Connolly (released), Nick Colgan (released), Arnau Riera (released), Dean Whitehead (Stoke City, undisclosed)




IN: Kyle Naughton (Sheffield United, undisclosed), Kyle Walker (Sheffield United, undisclosed), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, undisclosed).

OUT: Ricardo Rocha (released), Danny Hutchins (Yeovil Town, undisclosed), Didier Zokora (Sevilla, undisclosed),




IN: Luis Jimenez (Inter Milan, loan) Jack Lampe (Harlow Town, free), Fabio Daprela (Grasshoppers Zurich, undisclosed)

OUT: Diego Tristan (released), Lee Bowyer (Birmingham City, free), Kyel Reid, Walter Lopez, Tony Stokes, Jimmy Walker (all released), Lucas Neill (free agent), Freddie Sears (Crystal Palace, loan)




IN: Jordi Gomez (Espanyol, undisclosed), Hendry Thomas (Deportivo Olimpia, undisclosed), Jason Scotland (Swansea City, undisclosed)

OUT: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United, undisclosed)





IN: Nenad Milijas (Red Star Belgrade, undisclosed), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading, free), Kevin Doyle (Reading, undisclosed), Andrew Surman (Southampton, undisclosed), Ronald Zubar (Marseille, undisclosed), Greg Halford (Sunderland, undisclosed)

OUT:

Moyes predicts Jo impact

David Moyes believes Jo can recapture the form that led to his £20million move to Manchester City following his arrival at Everton.

The 21-year-old Brazilian has struggled to live up to his hefty price tag after his big-money arrival from Russian side CSKA Moscow last summer.

But despite his patchy form at City, Toffees boss Moyes believes the short-term move to Goodison Park could kick-start his career in England.

"We looked at him last year but we weren't sure it was the right thing for us to pursue in the end," he told the club's official website.

"The truth is that it hasn't worked for him at Manchester City and there could be a couple of reasons for that, such as it takes time for some foreign boys to settle in.

"He might also have found the Premier League a bit of a struggle, but we're happy to give him a chance and it would be great if he could show the form he did in Russia.

"The players we have got here will make it easy for him to settle and he will have the support of everyone to ensure he gets back to his best.

"The early signs are encouraging. It's never easy on your first day at any new club and we have only had a brief chance to look at him on the training ground.

"It's going to take a bit of time to get ready for what we want from him. Maybe he needs to find some confidence and self-belief again.

"We are not too desperate at this minute, He can work himself up so he'll be ready when he gets his opportunity and then show us what he can do."

Nolan shock at Trotters exit

Former captain Kevin Nolan has revealed his shock at Bolton Wanderers agreeing to sell him to Newcastle United during the transfer window.

The long-serving midfielder was sold to the Magpies for £4million last week and admitted the move to St James' Park came completely out of the blue.

Nolan had not asked to leave the Reebok Stadium and was surprised when the club told his agent that they were willing to sell him.

He told the Bolton News: "(My agent) told me Newcastle were on and did I fancy it.

"I asked him what the club had said about it and he said they were negotiating.

"It was a bit of a shock. There had been rumours in the past but they were always quashed, so I must admit I was disappointed that the club were prepared to sell me.

"I saw myself being at Bolton for many more years, but I've had time to think about it and it might be something I needed and something Bolton needed.