Martin O’Neill is on the verge of being reunited with Emile Heskey after Aston Villa attempted to bolster their diminishing attacking resources with a £3.5 million bid for the England striker.

With John Carew only just back in full training from a long-term back injury and Ashley Young suspended for three matches after his red card against Sunderland, Villa have become increasingly reliant on Gabriel Agbonlahor, so O’Neill will open talks with the Wigan Athletic forward whom he groomed at Leicester City in the late 1990s and wants to make his first signing of the transfer window.

Villa will be given the green light to move for Heskey after Hugo Rodallega, the Colombia striker, passed a medical last night to complete his £4.5 million move from Necaxa, the Mexican club, to Wigan, who also hope to tie up a loan deal for Mido from Middlesbrough. Steve Bruce, the Wigan manager, was also looking to remove Marlon King from his wage bill with the forward, who has been on loan with Hull City, undergoing a medical at Middlesbrough last night with a view to a permanent move.

Rodallega, 23, has secured a work permit and Bruce is waiting for international clearance. The manager would be satisfied if he can pair Mido with Amr Zaki, his Egyptian compatriot, with Rodallega as back-up.

It is thought that such a combination would persuade Bruce to cut his losses with Heskey, who was set to join Liverpool on a free transfer this summer when his contract expires. Heskey made his name at Leicester under O’Neill, who sold him to Liverpool for £11 million in 2000.

Although he has scored only three times this season, Heskey looks tailor-made for Villa as they seek to cement their place in the top four of the Barclays Premier League. While it is still conceivable that Liverpool and Everton could attempt to hijack the deal, Heskey knows that he will walk into the Villa side at present and would work well off the pace of Agbonlahor. With places up for grabs in an England squad set fair for next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa, Heskey also knows that Fabio Capello is a frequent visitor to Villa Park.

Should talks proceed well, Heskey could be playing against Wigan a week tomorrow, when Bruce’s team visit Villa Park, but it is thought unlikely that he would sign in time for Villa’s visit to Doncaster Rovers in the fourth round of the FA Cup tomorrow.

O’Neill spent in excess of £40 million last summer but has kept his powder dry since the transfer window reopened this month. Although his acquisitions of Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan, Luke Young, Carlos Cuéllar, Nicky Shorey, Steve Sidwell and even James Milner did not set pulses racing, Villa have improved after finishing sixth last season, and now stand in fourth place in their bid to secure a Champions League spot.