Villa enter the race for Bolton keeper

Jun 18 2007 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

VILLA have joined the £2million chase for Bolton Wanderers' goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Martin O'Neill has made an enquiry for the 32-year-old Finnish international who is surprisingly being made available by his club.

Bolton are understood to have instructed an agent to find them a buyer at £4.5million. But with just a year remaining on his contract Villa can expect to pay around half that sum.

Villa will have to act quickly as understandably they face competition for a player who was voted his club's Player of the Year by both the players and fans last season as he helped them into the UEFA Cup.

Sunderland have already made a bid of around £2million and others are set to follow suit.

O'Neill is ready to allow Thomas Sorensen to find himself a new club at a time when Stuart Taylor is also believed to want to move on.

Hull City's Boaz Myhill is reported to be on O'Neill's list of potential backup goalkeepers in Taylor's place.

Jaaskelainen will enter the last year of his current contract in August and has recently turned down the offer of an extension.

He will be able to walk away for nothing next summer, hence Bolton's decision to cash in.

Jaaskelainen's agent, Peter Harrison, said: "He has given 10 years' great service to Bolton and he is recognised as one of the top three keepers in the Premiership, if not the best."

Manchester United have been long-term admirers of the former VPS Vaasa keeper, who cost just £100,000 when Colin Todd, Wanderers' manager at the time, signed him in November 1997.

Jaaskelainen has made more than 350 appearances for Bolton and was hailed as the best in the league by then manager Sam Allardyce last season.