Premiership: Villa closing in on Mellberg
Aston Villa have moved closer to signing £6m-rated Swedish defender Olof Mellberg from Racing Santander.
Villa have agreed a fee with the Spanish club for the 23-year-old international.
He is due to fly into Birmingham in the next 24 hours to discuss personal terms with Villa manager John Gregory.
Gregory views the player as the ready-made replacement for his former skipper Gareth Southgate, who has joined Middlesbrough in a £6.5m move.
A Villa spokesman said: "The fee for Mellberg has been agreed and he is due to have talks with the club very soon, in the next 24 hours."
Gregory is keen to bring in Mellberg sooner rather than later so he can bed him in before the start of the club's Premiership campaign.
The Villa chief is also keen to boost his strike power and is interested in signing Barcelona's Dani.
The 26-year-old Spain international's future at the Nou Camp looks bleak with the expected arrival of £15.7m Argentine striker Javier Saviola.
Gregory is understood to be lining up an £8m bid for Dani, who has three years left of his current contract.
