Bolton close in on Aston Villa’s Stephen Ireland

Bolton looks the most likely destination for Aston Villa's want-away Irish midfielder Stephen Ireland.

Ireland has been a cast out at Villa Park since he joined the club in the summer and it has now emerged that fellow Irishman and Bolton manager Owen Coyle is ready to give the player a new lease of life by bringing him to the Reebok Stadium on loan until the end of the season.

The 24-year-old was previously linked with switches to Celtic and Newcastle, amongst other clubs, but the pressure on Villa boss Gerard Houllier to remedy the situation has never been so heavy.

The Ireland international rakes in £60,000 a week at the club – something that worries the Villa owners.

Bolton are currently exceeding expectations in the league and lie in seventh place, while Villa are facing into a relegation battle as they hover over the drop zone by a point.