Former U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley is in the running to become Aston Villa's director of football, sources have told ESPNFC.

Villa are searching for a director of football to help manager Tim Sherwood in a new-look management set-up at Villa Park.

Villa owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Tom Fox see the creation of a director of football role to work alongside the manager as part of the long-term vision to help the club try and recapture former glories.

Lerner and Fox are thought to be admirers of their fellow American Bradley with the 56-year-old linked with the Villa manager's job in 2010 following the departure of Martin O'Neill before he eventually signed a new deal with USMNT.

Bradley, who admitted he was interested in the Villa job in 2010, is currently working in Norway with Stabaek after joining the club in January 2014.

Bradley has a wealth of experience at club and international level and helped the United States reach the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup as well as the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.

In a response to the reports, Bradley's agent, Ron Waxman, took to Twitter in an effort to quash the rumours.

There is absolutely no truth to the #ESPN report that Bob Bradley is a candidate for the Director of Football position at Aston Villa. — Ron Waxman (@RonWaxman) March 3, 2015

A number of other names are thought to be in the frame to fill the role at Villa Park with former Liverpool and Tottenham director of football Damien Comolli among the contenders.

Villa are keen to bring in a new man as soon as possible but their chase for their top targets could depend on them staying up this season with the side currently second from bottom of the table and facing up to the prospect of being relegated from the top flight of English football for the first time since 1987.