ASTON VILLA boss Gerard Houllier has confirmed that midfielder Steve Sidwell is having medical at West Ham ahead of a permanent move.

Sidwell appears to have been snapped up by the Hammers, as manager Avram Grant has had to contend with a number of injuries to key midfielders this season, with Jack Collison, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Mark Noble all out of action.

Houllier said: “Steve is having a medical. He's at the end of his contract (next summer).”

Sidwell, who learned his trade at Arsenal before spells with Reading and Chelsea, lives in London and seems on the brink of sealing a move to Upton Park.

“It's not a secret that he lives in London. Otherwise I think Wolves would have been interested in signing him,” added Houllier.