Aston Villa ready for fresh attempt to sign Sylvain Distin

Jul 26 2009 By Mat Kendrick

MARTIN O’Neill could be about to step up his attempts to prize Sylvain Distin away from Portsmouth after Zat Knight’s departure to Bolton yesterday.

Villa have already had a £2.5 million bid for the 31-year-old Frenchman, above, rejected by Pompey, who value Distin at nearly double Villa’s offer.

However, O’Neill may test the water with a second bid of around £3 million after Knight made the switch to the Reebok Stadium for an undisclosed fee.

Admirer

With Knight’s departure and the retirement of Martin Laursen at the end of last season, O’Neill is now desperate to bolster his defence and he has been a long-time admirer of Distin, who only has a year left on his contract at Portsmouth.

Pompey boss Paul Hart has insisted Distin is not for sale but may be forced to cash in or risk losing him for nothing next year if Distin rejects a new contract offer.

However, the Frenchman is believed to be alarmed at the number of departures from Fratton Park and is questioning whether the club can match his own ambition. Villa would certainly be a tempting destination for Distin as they again look ready to mount another challenge for Champions League football this season.