Steve Staunton's Liverpool nightmare could be coming to an end in sensational fashion. Staunton snubbed Aston Villa in 1998 to move back to Anfield in one of the first high-profile Bosman free-transfers but it now looks as if he will be heading back to Birmingham with his tail between his legs.

Aston Villa manager John Gregory is set to bring Staunton back to where he spent seven seasons of his career. Villa are about to lose both their experienced central-defenders after Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate both asked for transfers and Gregory wants Staunton to fill in as sweeper at the club.

Villa paid £1.1m for Staunton in 1991 and even though they offered him a substantial rise in his wage packet he decided to leave for a second stint at Anfield. Ironically it will cost Villa more this time than it did in 1991 to sign the player and if the deal goes through Staunton will go down in Premiership history as the only player to play for two clubs on two separate occasions.

Gregory did not want to lose Staunton in the first place and he has maintained a link with the Republic of Ireland international. The Villa manager sought Staunton's opinion when he was in the process of bringing David James to Villa Park and it was under the Drogheda man's advice that he followed through on the deal.

While Staunton's decision to leave Villa did not go down well with the club's supporters, Gregory feels that the 31-year-old has the strength of mind to win over his critics and fill the gap that will be left at the heart of the defence when Southgate leaves.