Villa complete Warnock deal

Aston Villa completed the signing of Blackburn defender Stephen Warnock tonight for an undisclosed fee - believed to be around £8m.

Warnock has put pen to paper on a four-year contract which will keep him at Villa Park until the summer of 2013.

The 27-year-old passed a medical and agreed personal terms this afternoon and could come into contention for Sunday's home Premier League game with Fulham.

Warnock is relishing the challenge of breaking into the Barclays League top four after making the move from Blackburn to Villa.

He told AVTV: "The main aim is pushing for that top four spot. That's the ambition.

"The manager is buying some really talented players - young and ambitious - and I'm sure they will see that top four spot as a target and goal.

"Playing in Europe is important - playing against the top players on the continent is fantastic - and there's no better stage to do that than on the Champions League.

"If we could do that, it would be a great achievement."

A Villa statement reads: "Aston Villa have completed the signing of Stephen Warnock on a four year deal.

"We can also confirm that a fee has been agreed with Manchester City for defender Richard Dunne. The player will now discuss terms on a move to Villa Park."