Villa-bound Guzan granted permit

Aston Villa are set to complete the signing of goalkeeper Brad Guzan after the American was granted a work permit.

Villa had already agreed a fee, believed to be about £2m, with American side Chivas USA for the 23-year-old.

Guzan, who has won five caps for the USA, had been linked with a number of clubs in Europe but opted for Villa.

Guzan is the second American keeper to sign for Villa this summer, Brad Friedel having completed a move from Blackburn last week.

And Guzan is likely to provide back-up to 37-year-old Friedel, who made 287 appearances while at Ewood Park.

The Villans, who were also linked with Paul Robinson prior to his move to Blackburn, have also seen keepers Scott Carson and Thomas Sorensen leave the club this summer for West Brom and Stoke City respectively.

Guzan is the latest American keeper to move to the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Kasey Keller, Friedel, Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann.

606: DEBATE
"I wonder if he will be our first choice or he is going to learn from a new and more experienced keeper?"
nathanavfc

He made his final appearance for Chivas in a 1-1 draw with David Beckham's LA Galaxy side on Thursday.

He almost joined Villa in January but the deal collapsed because he failed to obtain a work permit.

Guzan has featured in five of the last eight United States internationals

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