<
>

Aston Villa sign Henri Lansbury from Nottingham Forest

Aston Villa have completed the signing of midfielder Henri Lansbury from Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee.

Lansbury, 26, joins Championship rivals Villa on a four-and-a-half-year deal and is reported to have cost around £3 million.

Mid-table Villa, now managed by Steve Bruce, are looking to improve their squad as they seek to mount a promotion bid in the second half of the season.

The former England under-21 international, who was also linked with Watford and Derby County, told his new club's official website: "I am delighted to be here at Aston Villa.

"As soon as I knew Aston Villa were interested, I wanted to come here. It's the size and reputation of the football club that attracted me. It's a big, big name in the English game and I can't wait to get started here now."

Lansbury had joined Forest from Arsenal in 2012 but was due to be a free agent in the summer.

Despite indications he would sign a contract earlier in the season, the deal was never signed amid months of uncertainty due to an attempted club takeover.

He last played for Forest in the 3-0 loss to arch-rivals Derby on Dec. 11 and had not played since, with Philippe Montanier -- who was sacked after the takeover fell through last week -- having recently said he was not in the right frame of mind to play.