Atletico Madrid are poised to end Savo Milosevic's traumatic years at Aston Villa. Jesus Gil, the Spanish club's president, confirmed last night that he was ready to complete a £3.5 million deal with Villa to take Milosevic to Spain at the end of this season.

Gil said: "We have signed a contract with Milosevic for next season." It is thought the deal was conducted before the 25-year-old Serb was heavily fined and tranfer-listed by the Villa manager Brian Little after he spat in the direction of supporters during a recent game at Blackburn.

Atletico have been keen to sign Milosevic for some time, but Little was eager to hold on to the striker, and Villa had taken up the one-year option on his contract that would have kept him in the Premiership for the next 18 months. But following the unsavoury spitting incident at Ewood Park, Little has now agreed to let the player leave, provided he recoups the £3.5 million he paid to Partizan Belgrade two and a half years ago.

The transfer cannot be completed until the summer because the Spanish transfer window closed at the end of December, and no further deals can take place until the end of the season. By coincidence Milosevic could yet play against Atletico before he joins them. Villa are paired with the Spanish club in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, with the first leg taking place in Madrid on March 3rd. Jan Molby turned down an invitation to return to management with Bradford City yesterday. Molby was approached by the first division club just hours before Paul Jewell was confirmed at City's caretaker-manager until the end of the current season.

Tottenham Hotspur yesterday attempted to resurrect their interest in Everton's Andy Hinchcliffe, two weeks after claiming that he was medically unfit to join them. After learning that Hinchcliffe was on the verge of completing a £3 million move to Sheffield Wednesday, the Tottenham manager Christian Gross sought to reopen negotiations with the England wing-back.

Hinchcliffe would have completed a transfer to White Hart Lane earlier this month had Gross not scuppered the deal after being informed that the player was suffering from a minor achilles tendon problem. Hinchcliffe declined to enter into fresh talks with Tottenham and he will complete his move to South Yorkshire if Wednesday agrees to meet Everton's asking price.