Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has returned to Norway after initial talks with Aston Villa to find his current club Molde dealt a huge blow.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer moved a step closer to becoming Aston Villa’s next manager as he held talks with owner Randy Lerner yesterday.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish will attempt to sort out the future of several key players approaching the end of their current contracts over the next few weeks.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish will hold talks with Slovakia striker Jan Novak in the next 48 hours to see if there is any possibility of the player moving to St Andrew’s from MFK Kosice next month.

Chelsea have signed midfielder Nemanja Matic from MFK Kosice, according to the Slovakian club.