ASTON VILLA are ready to offer the Republic of Ireland skipper Andy Townsend a deal which they hope will secure his future with the club.
Townsend (33), whose current contract expires in the summer, is looking for a new two-year deal but Villa were prepared to offer only a one-year contract.
But it is believed that manager Brian Little is hoping the matter can be solved by offering Townsend a 12-month deal, but with the carrot of a further 12-month option on top of that.
Meanwhile, Townsend insisted that whether or not Villa qualify for the UEFA Cup would not have a bearing on whether he signed a new deal.
He said: "I'm happy at Villa and qualification for Europe isn't really an issue at the moment.
While you hope negotiations will go as planned, they don't always go that way and things might not always go as you like.
"At the moment those decisions are in the hands of the powers that be at the club but I am hoping something will be sorted out."
Celtic are monitoring the situation should Townsend decide to cash in with one big final move elsewhere before hanging up his boots.
Meanwhile, Townsend gave Little a boost by resuming training after suffering a shoulder injury in the FA Cup fourth round defeat at Derby last month.
