Brad Friedel has been offered the opportunity to re-sign for Liverpool this summer after Kenny Dalglish joined Tottenham Hotspur in the chase for the veteran American goalkeeper.

The 40-year-old is out of contract at Aston Villa and talks over an extension at Villa Park are on hold due to the uncertainty over the manager Gérard Houllier's future. That has alerted several Premier League rivals to the prospect of an astute free transfer and it is understood Liverpool and Spurs have emerged as front-runners for his services.

Friedel joined Liverpool from Columbus Crew in 1997 but made only 25 league appearances for the Anfield side over three years before moving to Blackburn Rovers, where he established himself as one of the finest keepers in the Premier League. However, a return to Merseyside would only be as back-up to José Reina, with the Spain international having recently ended doubts over his long-term future at Liverpool, and the prospect of more regular first-team football at White Hart Lane in place of the erratic Heurelho Gomes could work in Harry Redknapp's favour.

West Bromwich Albion are also interested in the former USA international while Villa have not given up hope of convincing him to extend his successful three-year stint in the Midlands. Speaking before the final game of the season on Sunday, a 1-0 win over Liverpool secured by Stewart Downing – another Dalglish target – Friedel said: "The contract talks at this moment have been put on hold because of Mr Houllier's health and also the ongoing court case with Martin O'Neill.

"Myself and my advisors wanted to get to safety first and foremost before we started diving into things of that nature. I still feel very good, I still think I've got a year or two left in the legs and we'll see what happens. I've enjoyed every minute of my three years here, so we'll just have to see what the future brings."

Roy Hodgson, the Albion manager, could decide to turn his attention to Preston's Andy Lonergan, who impressed in the Championship last season and has also been on Birmingham City's radar.