blog.great-save.com

By Danny Wright

Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Brad Friedel is set to leave the club.

The 34-year-old has been linked to Aston Villa and Manchester City, and it has emerged today that Rovers have agreed a fee for the stopper.

But manager Paul Ince will not let the American depart until he finds a suitable replacement.

Rovers chairman John Williams told BBC Sport:  “We have accepted a bid for Brad Friedel, but the deal is conditional on a replacement being brought in first.”

Friedel is likely to join Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa, for a fee believed to be in the region of £2m.

O’Neill is eager to bolster his goalkeeping department after Scott Carson returned to Liverpool following his season long loan and Thomas Sorensen was released.

Ince recently expressed his desire to Friedel to remain at Ewood Park, telling BBC Radio Lancashire: “I want to keep Brad - he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership - I want to keep my best players.”

Friedel signed for Rovers in 2000 after struggling for regular first team football at Liverpool, for who he made just 20 appearances in three years.

He has since established himself as one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers, and made 82 appearances on the international stage for the United States before retiring in 2005.