Aston Villa have agreed a fee for Joleon Lescott, but West Brom will not let the defender go until they find a replacement, sources have told ESPN FC.
As revealed by ESPN FC last month, Villa were chasing Lescott -- who is in the final 12 months of his contract -- earlier this summer and had a £1 million bid for the England defender turned down.
Lescott, 33, was a regular in the West Brom side last season after arriving on a free transfer from Manchester City and was expected to sign a new deal at The Hawthorns this summer, but the talks stalled opening the door for Villa to make their move.
Villa boss Tim Sherwood is keen to partner Lescott alongside Micah Richards in central defence as he looks to shore up Villa's backline to avoid another relegation battle this season.
Lescott is keen on a move to his boyhood club after starting the last two games on the bench and missing out completely for the Capital One Cup win over Port Vale.
Baggies boss Tony Pulis is actively looking for defensive reinforcements having been linked with Manchester United's Jonny Evans and Tottenham's Federico Fazio and it appears Lescott does not figure in his long-term plans.
However, Pulis is refusing to sanction Lescott's departure until he has brought in a replacement for the former Everton and Wolves man.