Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton will put the finishing touches on his move to Manchester United this week, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Heaton set to leave Villa Park

Villa confirmed at the end of May that Heaton, along with Neil Taylor and Ahmed Elmohamady will leave the club when their contracts expire.

Heaton, who joined Villa back in 2019, is still technically a Villa player until the end of June.

The 35-year-old, who made 20 appearances for Villa, came through the ranks at United and will now return to Old Trafford when he becomes a free agent.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Heaton, who Paul Robinson described as 'phenomenal' back in April, will have a medical and pen a contract through to 2023 this week.

Romano shared the news on Twitter on Monday afternoon, insisting an official announcement is expected in July.

“Tom Heaton will undergo his medical with Manchester United this week then he’ll sign the contract until June 2023 + one more season option. Done, completed and here we go confirmed. Official announcement expected in July.”

The Verdict: Do Villa need a replacement?

With Heaton returning to Manchester, all Villa eyes could now be waiting to see if the club will bring in a replacement as cover for Emiliano Martinez.

Dean Smith will have Jed Steer as back up, but he may want to bring in a third experienced shot-stopper to be safe.

The likes of Marcus Bettinelli, Wayne Hennessey and John Ruddy are just three ‘keepers on the books of English sides who could end up becoming available for nothing in a matter of weeks.

One of those three could well be of interest to Smith and Villa, but you’d expect any addition would need to be content with serving merely as cover for the impressive Martinez.

In other news: Pundit claims he spotted Spurs man in Midlands and makes possible Villa transfer claim, find out more here.