Club gets OK to talk to American goalie

Blackburn has given Aston Villa permission to open discussions with former United States goalkeeper Brad Friedel about a transfer.

The teams had already settled upon a transfer fee for the 37-year-old Friedel, who had extended his contract with Blackburn through to 2010 in February.

The Rovers wanted to sign a replacement before selling Friedel and acquired England's Paul Robinson from Tottenham in a five-year deal on Friday.

"We've been given permission to talk to the player and that's something that we want to do," Villa manager Martin O'Neill said, referring to Friedel. "But there are still lots of things to happen."