Villa rule out move for Malbranque

Aston Villa have ruled out a possible swoop for Fulham midfielder Steed Malbranque.

The 25-year-old Frenchman has been linked with a move away from Craven Cottage but Villa Park is not a possible destination, according to Villa operations director Steve Stride.

He told official website www.avfc.co.uk: “During one of my many conversations with David [O’Leary, manager], Malbranque’s name came up and David insisted most definitely that he was not one of the names on his list.”