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Aston Villa have completed the signing of midfielder Henri Lansbury from Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee. Lansbury, 26, joins Championship rivals Villa on a four-and-a-half-year deal and is reported to have cost around £3 million. Mid-table Villa, now managed by Steve Bruce, are looking to improve their squad as they seek to mount a promotion bid in the second half of the season. The former England under-21 international, who was also linked with Watford and Derby County, told his new club's official website: "I am delighted to be here at Aston Villa. "As soon as I knew Aston Villa were interested, I wanted to come here. It's the size and reputation of the football club that attracted me. It's a big, big name in the English game and I can't wait to get started here now." Lansbury had joined Forest from Arsenal in 2012 but was due to be a free agent in the summer. Despite indications he would sign a contract earlier in the season, the deal was never signed amid months of uncertainty due to an attempted club takeover. He last played for Forest in the 3-0 loss to arch-rivals Derby on Dec. 11 and had not played since, with Philippe Montanier -- who was sacked after the takeover fell through last week -- having recently said he was not in the right frame of mind to play.
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