Republic of Ireland midfielder Matt Holland was on the verge of returning to English Premiership football last night after Aston Villa agreed a fee, believed to be £4 million, for him with his club, Ipswich Town.

"The state of play is that I got the call from (Ipswich manager) George Burley to tell me that the clubs had agreed a fee and that I could start talking about personal terms," Holland said. "My people have been up there today and it's just a question of waiting to hear how that turns out.

"Tomorrow I have to go home and talk to my wife, family and agent about what we want to do; it's the biggest decision of my life."

By last night the player's agent was at Villa Park and it is expected the midfielder will complete the move over the next day or so.

"I know that the club doesn't want to sell me," said Holland, "but the reality of the balance sheet is that the money needs to be earned."

The 28-year-old had repeatedly insisted over the past couple of months he was happy to stay at Ipswich but he now looks certain to return to top-flight football, having played just three games for Burley since the club was relegated at the start of the summer.

His last game for the club may well prove to be Sunday's 6-1 defeat of Leicester, in which he scored twice.

Holland started his career at West Ham, but it was during his five seasons at Ipswich, where he made just over 300 appearances, that he really made his mark.

He made his international debut against Macedonia in October 1999 and has scored four goals in 24 games for the Republic of Ireland.