Aston Villa hope to confirm the signing of Manchester City defender Richard Dunne later today when the paperwork on the deal is verified by the Premier League.

The club submitted all the relevant documents before 4pm yesterday and the Football Association are satisfied with what has been presented to them. However, the huge workload involved in processing transfers at Premier League headquarters means officials have asked for more time to ratify the £6 million deal.

When Dunne's move is confirmed he will join fellow new signing James Collins at the heart of Villa's defence. Collins completed his £5 million transfer from West Ham in rapid time to sign a four-year contract. "It's been a mad 24 hours since coming up here but I'm delighted to have it all sorted," said the 26-year-old.

New team-mate James Milner, currently on international duty with England, has welcomed the strengthening of the defence after the retirement of Martin Laursen and sale of Zat Knight to Bolton. "Hopefully it will make us stronger and help us move forward as a club," he said. "We haven't got too many defenders and James Collins is a proven Premier League player.

"I spoke to Matty Upson about him and he's a good lad and a great player. That is a good signing and Richard Dunne as well. They are experienced players. We've got young players coming through and it's important to have that experience alongside them."