Hughes 'to quit Fulham for Villa'

Mark Hughes was this morning preparing to resign as Fulham boss in order to succeed Gerard Houllier at Aston Villa, according to sources.

Fulham were this morning refusing to confirm that Hughes was still in his post.

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The former Blackburn and Manchester City manager has emerged as Randy Lerner's No.1 target since the American decided to pay Houllier off over health fears.

Though Fulham were bullish about keeping Hughes yesterday, he is understood to be ready to step down in the next few hours.

Sparky, 47, has a clause in his Fulham deal, which he was able to activate from June 1, which allows him to walk away for a relatively small amount of compensation should a bigger club come calling.

He is thought to relish the idea of managing a club with bigger spending power than the Cottagers' modest resources.