Aston Villa are awaiting a response from West Ham having made a £7million bid for wantaway midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill has been watching the Hammers captain for several months and with the need to strengthen this summer he has now made his move for a player who cost the Upton Park club just £500,000 from Wimbledon three years ago.

The offer falls just short of West Ham's valuation of their England Under-21 captain, who scored in the 5-0 friendly victory over Slovakia last night.

However, with the player intent on leaving the club O'Neill is well-placed to get his man as, although Arsenal were interested in January, they have not pursued the matter.

Reo-Coker's agent Tony Finnegan has been making optimistic noises for the past few days about the player moving to the midlands.

When asked about speculation linking Reo-Coker with Villa he said at the weekend: "What has been in the papers isn't far wrong but I don't know what will happen at the moment."

O'Neill has made it clear that a midfielder of Reo-Coker's qualities is among his priorities this summer to play alongside Stiliyan Petrov.

But, if he arrives at Villa Park, it will put further question marks over the future of Gavin McCann, who has only one year left of his contract, and Northern Ireland international Steven Davis.

O'Neill is also keeping tabs on the West Brom trio of Jason Koumas, Paul Robinson and Paul McShane and Charlton defender Luke Young.