De La Cruz set for Villa move

Graham Taylor is confident Ulises De La Cruz will complete his move to Aston Villa over the weekend.

De La Cruz has agreed personal terms with Villa and is expected to put pen to paper on the deal in the next 24-hours.

Villa are declining to disclose the fee but it is believed to be in the region of £1.5m (€2.3m) for the World Cup star.

Taylor said: "We are expecting the signing to be completed over the weekend. There are no problems. He has now had the medical and gone through all the negotiations.

"There is no problem with the work permit. I am delighted to have secured his services - he is someone I had been looking at before the World Cup finals."

However, Taylor is unlikely to pursue his interest in French midfielder David Linares who has been on trial with Villa from French champions Lyon.

Linares has returned to France after a three-day spell training with Villa.