Charles N'Zogbia Close To Signing for Aston Villa from Wigan

According to ESPN, Wigan has agreed to sell Charles N'Zogbia to Aston Villa for £9.5 million (€10.79 million). The move is close to completion.

A previous bid of £9 million was turned down by Wigan.

After a lacklustre season in 2010/2011 Aston Villa were looking to add some fire power upfront. The signing of Darren Bent was a great acquisition at the halfway mark of last campaign, and now the addition of N'Zogbia will make Villa a real force to be reckoned with as they attempt to climb into Europe. According to a July 14 Daily Mail report, Aston Villa may also look to acquire Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Over the past few years, Aston Villa have seen their squad change dramatically. With star players such as James Milner, Stewart Downing and Ashley Young leaving the side in recent times, Villa have had some shoes to fill. N'Zogbia has shown his club in the Premier League playing for club side Wigan Athletic. The French international is a real creative spark up front and could prove key in developing a link-up between the midfield and Darren Bent.

Athletic had shown that they are capable of EPL football, finishing off the season last year on a high. With N'Zogbia being the key spark behind that resurgence, do not be surprised to see this bid rejected.

Last season the 25-year-old scored 10 goals in 38 appearances for his club.