Former City captain Dunne deemed not good enough to start in Manchester as he heads to Aston Villa

Aston Villa have agreed a fee of £6m with Manchester City and have completed finalising personal terms with Richard Dunne on a four-year deal.

While the transfer was completed after Tuesday’s transfer deadline, Villa submitted all the necessary forms before the deadline and the Premier League simply asked for a bit more time to confirm the transfer.

“Hopefully I can be part of a squad to challenge for a Champions League spot,“ the centre-back told Aston Villa TV.

"With the experience gained from last season and with the new players brought into the squad this year, maybe it might help us go that bit further.”

Dunne spent nine years at City, and is Villa’s seventh summer signing. Villa have now spent £40m this summer, which is only a third of what City have spent to put things in perspective.

Club skipper Stiliyan Petrov said: “He’s the captain of Ireland, he’s been the captain of Manchester City. You love to see players like that coming to this club.

"Martin Laursen was a big player for us, with his presence and his influence. But he, like Gareth Barry, is now gone and we need to get on without him.

"The arrival of Dunne will help us to do that.”