Out of favour left-back Nicky Shorey has been linked with a January move to Championship side Nottingham Forest.
The former Reading man has dropped to third in the Villa pecking order following the arrival of Stephen Warnock and the return to fitness of Wilfred Bouma.
And it now looks certain that the 28 year-old will move on when the transfer window reopens with a fee of around £3m being mooted.
Billy Davies' Forest have the financial clout to push the deal through, but Shorey's reluctance to drop down a division could cause problems.
The full-back was close to completing a loan move to Portsmouth at the end of August but the deal fell through due to his determination to fight for a place in the Villa side.
That aim now looks unlikely to be fulfilled as Warnock is in fine form, a fact recognised by England boss Fabio Capello who named the former Blackburn man in his squad to face Brazil in Doha on Saturday.
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