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West Brom boss Tony Pulis has been linked with a £4million summer swoop for Republic of Ireland defender Clark, who expects to be fit for the start of the season following a knee injury.

But Clark, 25, has no intention of heading to The Hawthorns after being assured he is an integral part of Villa manager Tim Sherwood's long-term plans.

Sherwood made his first signing of the summer last week, snapping up versatile defender Richards, 26.

But if the arrival of Richards, who spent last season on loan at Fiorentina, increases the competition for places at the back - Sherwood may use a three-man defence next term - it is Dutchman Ron Vlaar who is likely to be on his way, rather than Clark.

Vlaar, 30, who lost the Villa captaincy last term to Fabian Delph, is out of contract and so far all talks on extending his stay have hit the buffers.

Sherwood would like to keep the experienced central defender but is not prepared to break the bank to do so - especially as Vlaar has been ravaged by injuries for much of the previous two seasons.

West Ham, Sunderland and Everton are all monitoring developments with Vlaar, although a move abroad, with Italy as the destination, is more likely than a Premier League switch.

Clark, meanwhile, is continuing his recovery from the knee problem which ruled him out of last month's FA Cup Final thumping by Arsenal.

The Ireland international, capped 11 times, became a first-team regular after Sherwood replaced Paul Lambert.

A Villa insider said: "Ciaran is working hard on his rehab and should be fit by August. The signing of Micah Richards does not affect his position at Villa."