Aston Villa are hoping to finally secure the services of United States goalkeeper Brad Guzan after agreeing a fee with Chivas USA.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill agreed a fee in the region of £2million for Guzan during the January transfer window but the deal was scuppered after he failed to obtain a work permit.

Now Villa have again reached agreement with the Major League Soccer (MLS) club for Guzan who played against England as a second-half substitute at Wembley in May.

And Guzan's increased number of international appearances - he has been involved in five of the last eight internationals - means Villa are more hopeful of gaining Home Office approval.

A Villa spokesman said: "Aston Villa can confirm that a fee has been agreed this morning for Brad Guzan and he will become a Villa player subject to gaining a work permit."

Guzan told PA Sport: "I would love to sign for Villa. When I was there in January for a few days it was an absolutely brilliant time. Great people, great facilities and I couldn't say one bad thing about it."