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Aston Villa are waiting to offload their flops before stepping up interest in Nuremberg’s Japanese star Hiroshi Kiyotake.

Villa want rid of Darren Bent, Barry Bannan, Alan Hutton, Nathan Delfouneso, Shay Given, Stephen Ireland and Enda Stevens.

But club chiefs don’t want to let their gaggle of big-earning outcasts go on the cheap, with hefty pay-offs.

The Villans are holding out until the final days of the summer window in the hope of finding better terms before cashing in and may then move for 23-year-old attacking midfielder Kiyotake.

Manager Paul Lambert was impressed by his performances at the London Olympics and was first linked with the player last month, but the Germans are reluctant to sell for less than £10million.

Kiyotake, who has played 19 times for Japan, scored four times and had 10 assists during his debut season in the Bundesliga.

Lambert has already been very active this summer in bringing in six players, but the club now want to shift their dead wood before buying again.

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Meanwhile, Lambert insists two of his best summer buys are on course to make an impact at the start of the Premier League season.

Bulgaria midfielder Aleksandar Tonev and Denmark defender Jores Okore only played in the first game of the Villans' German tour before being sidelined with injuries.

But they returned in Sunday's 2-0 win at Shamrock Rovers and are on course to start at Arsenal in the opening league game on August 17.

Lambert said: "Alex and Jores have been out for a month, so for them to get 45 minutes is important.

"The most important thing, which I have said from day one, is no injuries.

"It was a game we looked pretty comfortable in. It's another victory. We are getting there. We have one more week to go now."