Martin O'Neill has not given up hope of keeping Juventus target Olof Mellberg at Aston Villa, despite confirming the Italian club's interest.The Italian giants have formally asked Villa for permission to speak to Mellberg who is in the final year of his current deal.
O'Neill understands the 30-year-old's desire to explore all options before deciding on where his future lies.
But he insisted the Sweden international had impressed sufficiently to earn a new deal with Villa and he will also have no hesitation in continuing to play him even if he signs a pre-contract agreement with Juventus.
O'Neill, whose side host Reading on Saturday, said: "Juventus have sent a letter through saying they want to speak to Olof.
"It is their prerogative. I am not even sure that they have to do that but at least they have made their intentions clear. They are well within their rights to do so.
"Olof has been here seven years. He has earned the right to do this. He wants to have a wee look around and it might not be anything to do with money. It might be an environmental thing.
"If someone like Juventus have shown an interest, and within six months of your contract running out, I think you have to explore every avenue.
"I don't plague him every single day about these things. I just let him get on with it and he might come around to formulating some idea in his head of what he wants to do."
O'Neill added: "Olof's commitment has been excellent and even if he decides to go in the summer, I would have no qualms about continuing to play him or if he signed a pre-contract.
"This is not a scenario where someone has not earned his stripes. This boy (Mellberg) has played seven years here and is a top professional.
"I am not going to rush him and he knows at the end of it all, he has done well enough to earn himself another contract here."
O'Neill has held contract talks with another defender in Martin Laursen and is hoping to be in a position to announce some news about the Dane's future next week.
Laursen is also in the final year of his current contract and has been one of Villa's most consistent players during the first half of the season and also weighed in with five goals.
O'Neill said: "We had some pretty reasonably good conversations and I think I'll be able to give you some news on that by the middle of next week."
O'Neill has challenged his side to build on their encouraging form during the first five months of the season and challenge for a European spot.
He said: "We have plenty to play for because we have given ourselves a platform from which to charge forward from.
"We had a great festive period. We are three points behind Manchester City. We are into the second half of the season, with 17 games to go, and looking to finish well.
"Everybody wants to get into the top four but it's whether you have the willpower to do it.
"If you're looking at us, Aston Villa has the ability to break into it because it has the history and a passionate support.
"Teams have that ambition but it's whether you have the determination, drive and it eventually comes down to the team."
