Chelsea delaying Villa bid

Villa may have to play a waiting game for midfielder Steve Sidwell and winger Shaun Wright-Phillips while Chelsea appoint a new manager.

Boss Martin O'Neill is an admirer of both players and is believed to be prepared to pay £4m for Sidwell and £8m for Wright-Phillips.

Sidwell is on Villa's list of targets whether or not Gareth Barry leaves, while Villa are desperate for a right-sided player and have been tracking Wright-Phillips for 18 months.

But O'Neill is being forced to wait to step up his interest in both targets as Chelsea address the pressing need of finding a new manager after the departure of Avram Grant following their Champions League final defeat to Manchester United.

Frank Rijkaard, Felipe Scolari and Blackburn boss Mark Hughes are said to be in the frame for the hot seat at Stamford Bridge.

Whoever gets the job is likely to want time to assess his squad first before allowing players to leave.

But in Sidwell's case, there is a string of potential suitors, with nine clubs chasing his signature.

Everton, Blackburn, Manchester City, West Ham and the three north east clubs have also all lodged their interest in the one-time Arsenal trainee.

Wright-Phillips is one of three right-sided players Villa are looking at, with Tottenham's Aaron Lennon and Newcastle's former Villa loan player James Milner also on the radar.

Villa have been linked with a move for Sampdoria's Argentinian defender Hugo Campagnaro and £2m-rated Atletico Madrid's Greek full-back Gourkas Seitaridis.