Cole completes Villa medical

Joe Cole appears set to sign for Aston Villa on a free transfer after the club confirmed he had passed a medical on Tuesday.

Former England midfielder Cole is a free agent after his contract at West Ham expired.

Villa had been strongly linked with the 32-year-old and a deal now seems close to completion.

The Midlands outfit posted a picture of Cole in Villa training gear on their official Twitter account on Tuesday, accompanied by the message: "Joe Cole at Bodymoor Heath (Villa's training ground) having completed a medical this morning."

After lengthy spells with West Ham and Chelsea earlier in his career, Cole has switched clubs on a regular basis in recent seasons.

He joined Liverpool in 2010, but was soon loaned out to French side Lille, before rejoining West Ham in January 2013.

Cole made only six Premier League starts last season, featuring as a substitute on 14 further occasions.

While Cole looks set to join Villa, forward Jordan Bowery has headed in the other direction, signing a two-year deal at Rotherham United.

Rotherham were promoted to the Championship last season and have paid an undisclosed club-record fee for the 22-year-old, who started just five top-flight games in two seasons at Villa Park.

Steve Evans, Rotherham's manager, said: "He excited everyone when he was at Chesterfield when he broke through as a young kid and then he got the wonderful opportunity to play at Aston Villa.

"He has been at two good clubs and he has the opportunity to join a club that is desperately keen to do well in the Championship. We are delighted to sign him."