Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill will be buoyed by the news that Portuguese defender Miguel has made public his desire to leave La Liga side Valencia.

O’Neill has displayed real intent to try and make some quality signings this summer, with the unveiling of Chelsea misfit Steve Sidwell expected to be imminent.

The Irishman had also been interested in England International David Bentley of Blackburn Rovers, along with Tottenham Hotspur pair Aaron Lennon and Tom Huddlestone, though Manchester City and Spurs are regarded as the front-runners to sign Bentley.

28-year-old Miguel, currently on duty with Portugal at EURO 2008, is O’Neill’s preferred choice, after seeing top-target Jose Boswinga join Chelsea from FC Porto, and with the interest in Tottenham right-back Pascal Chimbonda seeming to have subsided as Aston Villa look to strengthen their squad for next season.

Miguel, full name Luis Miguel Brito Garcia Monteiro, joined Valencia from Portuguese team SL Benfica in 2005 for £6million,
and according to reports in Spain cash-strapped Los Che could sell the player for a fee in the region of £11million, however Aston Villa could face stiff competition from Manchester United, who are also tracking the player.

“I have already told the club that I prefer to leave because of many things that happened this season, and the best for everyone would be for me to leave,” Miguel said.

“If something good for both parties arrives, it would be good to leave Valencia.

“The people in the club know, because I told them and, therefore, the best would be for me to change teams.

“Of course, since I have a contract, you can’t say that my time at Valencia is over but, although I love the city and the club, some things happened I did not like.”

Should the Villans fail in their attempt to sign Miguel, they could turn his attention to fellow Portuguese player Joao Pereira, currently at Sporting Braga or Arsenal’s Justin Hoyte, both would command a much cheaper price-tag.