ASTON VILLA are set to smash their transfer record after agreeing to pay £4 million for Bolton's Yugoslav international midfielder Sasa Curcic. Curcic has agreed to go to Villa Park, but manager Brian Little said Curcic was unlikely to play for his new club for at least a couple of weeks while they obtained a work permit for the 24 year old player.
Curcic's arrival will top the £3.5 million Villa paid his former club Partizan Belgrade for striker Savo Milosevic 12 months ago.
Little said he was delighted to have landed Curcic, admitting that he had wanted the player for several months.
"(Bolton manager) Colin Todd and I spoke a couple of times this week and the go ahead has been given," said Little.
"I thought perhaps I would be waiting several months for this particular player and yet it has happened very quickly.
"We have agreed a fee and the player has agreed to join us. I say the word agreed carefully because that's as much as can be done at the moment.
"We have to make sure a work permit is in place. Once all the red tape is through then he will be available but it would take a week or two I would suggest."
Little's only summer acquisition to date has been Portuguese full back Fernando Nelson from Sporting Lisbon for £1.7 million.
Curcic joined Bolton for a then record £1.5 million from Partizan Belgrade last October and was outstanding last season.
Bolton's Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper Keith Branagan said: "It's a bombshell and I'm stunned.
"There has been no whisper of this but I've been in the game a long time and players do come and go. Sasa is a big talent, but £4, million is big money.
Meanwhile, Patrik Berger is set to make his Premiership debut for Liverpool at Middlesbrough on Saturday after the Department of Education and Employment in London cut through red tape to register him as an Anfield player.
The Czech Republic star's work permit is expected to arrive in the next 24 hours, just in time to ensure he is eligible for the first two grounds of the European Cup Winners' Cup before today's deadline.
And as Liverpool manager Roy Evans could be without up to nine players because of injury at the Riverside Stadium, the 22 year old midfielder could be pitched straight in.
Berger has been training alone since completing negotiations for his £3.25 million move from Borussia Dortmund.
Evans has also admitted making a bid for former Anfield star Steve Staunton, saying: "We have a long standing interest in Steve and made an inquiry fairly recently. There was a refusal from the Villa end but there may still be some life in it.
