Robert Pires ready to sign for Villa

Robert Pires has confirmed he hopes to be a Villa player within the next 48 hours - and has refused to rule out a debut at Blackburn on Sunday.

As revealed in yesterday's Express & Star, the claret and blues are closing in on a shock move for the 37-year-old Frenchman, who has been a free agent since his release by Villarreal in the summer.

Villa boss Gerard Houllier held talks with his compatriot yesterday and the World Cup winner, who has recently been training with former club Arsenal to stay fit, is confident a deal will soon be struck.

He said: "Nothing's done yet, nothing's been signed, but the talks with Gerard Houllier are going well.

"Now let's say I just have to convince the team doctor and hopefully I will sign before the end of the week.

"The medical is set for Thursday or Friday, so we'll see first what happens in the last meeting with Gerard Houllier and everyone else from Aston Villa. Things are going well, though.

"The only thing I can say is that we are moving forward and the dossier is a solid one for the club and for me.

"It would be for six months or longer, but there are still some things to sort out, although I assure everyone it's not in terms of finances."

With Nigel Reo-Coker, Steve Sidwell, Stiliyan Petrov, Ciaran Clark and Fabian Delph all sidelined, Pires would be a welcome addition to a youthful Villa midfield which, while performing admirably, has been short of experience in recent weeks.

And Pires is ready to be thrust straight into action at Ewood Park this Sunday if his proposed move gets the green light.

He said: "It's no problem for me to play on Sunday. I've been training with Arsenal for two months and I'm happy and in good form.

"I just have to see Aston Villa's medical staff at the end of the week and, if I've signed, I hope to be part of the trip to Blackburn on Sunday.

"I would like to thank Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger - as because of him I'm going to able to experience the highest level again - and Gerard Houllier."