MARTIN O'NEILL is understood to have identified Chelsea's Steve Sidwell as a replacement for Gareth Barry.
The Aston Villa manager has refused to concede defeat in his attempts to persuade Barry to resist Liverpool's overtures, but with that task appearing increasingly forlorn O'Neill is poised to rekindle the interest he showed in signing Sidwell last summer, when he missed out on the 25-year-old midfielder after Chelsea flexed their financial muscles.
Sidwell, who has started only 13 matches for Chelsea this season after joining on a free transfer from Reading 12 months ago, will be allowed to leave Stamford Bridge for around £5 million (€6.3 million) this summer.
The asking price is well within Villa's reach although personal terms could be more problematic, with Sidwell's basic salary at Chelsea believed to be around £65,000 (€82,000) a week.
Meanwhile, Iain Dowie has been appointed first-team coach of Championship side Queen's Park Rangers. The 43-year-old, who spent three years with QPR as a player and also had stints as caretaker boss and assistant manager, has signed for two years.
