Aston Villa have been granted permission to begin talks with Blackburn keeper Brad Friedel.

Villa have already seen a £2million offer accepted by their Premier League rivals and were waiting to be given the green light to discuss personal terms.

With Rovers closing in on England international Paul Robinson, Martin O’Neill confirmed that discussions with the veteran American shot-stopper will now be held as soon as possible.

“We’ve been given permission to speak to the player and that’s something that we want to do,” the Ulsterman told the club’s official website.

“But there are still a lot of things to happen.

“We’re in the process of strengthening the squad and this is all part of our efforts to add strength in depth.”

Ref From skysports.com