Villa close in on £4m Knight deal

Aston Villa are set to sign Fulham defender Zat Knight in a £4m deal.

Knight, 27, signed a new three-year deal with the Cottagers in the summer but it appears that Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is prepared to let him leave.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill's interest in Knight comes after his bid to sign West Brom's Curtis Davies hit the buffers because of the £8m-plus valuation.

O'Neill is still believed to be interested in Davies, while he is also in the hunt for a right-back.

Knight would join Olof Mellberg, Martin Laursen and Gary Cahill in the competition for a centre-back slot.

However, there are question marks over the fitness of Laursen, whose time at Villa has been blighted by knee problems, while Mellberg has yet to sign a contract extension.

Knight was signed by Kevin Keegan for Fulham in 1999 and has played for England at under-21 and senior level.

He was a member of Sven Goran Eriksson's squad that took part in a two-game tour in the United States two years ago.