Taylor in for £5m Simons

Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor is closing in on one of the mainstays of Belgium's World Cup campaign in an effort to quell a growing rebellion at Villa Park.

Taylor reacted to a transfer demand from Alpay and an angry outburst by Hassan Kachloul by stepping up his interest in £5million-rated Bruges midfielder Timmy Simons and making a personal check on his form last Sunday.

Darius Vassell, 22, has pledged to sign a new contract at Villa and declared himself fit for Sunday's opening game against Liverpool. Fellow striker Bosko Balaban is poised to rejoin his former club Dinamo Zagreb in a season-long loan deal.