Republic of Ireland international Conor Hourihane has agreed to join Championship club Swansea City on loan for the remainder of this season.

Hourihane has only featured four times for Aston Villa in the Premier League this season with his last appearance at the end of November.

The 29-year-old Irish midfielder would have been in line to play against Liverpool in the FA Cup earlier this month but the entire first-team squad was unavailable to play due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.

Villa return to Premier League action for the first time in almost three weeks on Wednesday when they face Manchester City.

Speaking ahead of his side's trip to City, Villa boss Dean Smith confirmed he had held talks with Hourihane about his lack of football.

"Personally I'd like Conor to stay but Conor's come to see me a few times and intimated that he wants to play football games, which is one of the reasons why I love Conor so much.

"He's never happy when he's not playing games and he's intimated to me that he wants to go out and play games.

"We'll look at the possibility of clubs. It's got to be right for the football club and for Conor as well to go and play games.

"But it would be a loan until the end of the season, get him back playing and get him back to us."

Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough were also believed to be interested in the Corkman but Hourihane is expected to join Swansea in time for their FA Cup fourth-round tie against Forest on Saturday.

Swansea are currently second in the Championship, four points behind leaders Norwich and four points above third-placed Bournemouth.

Steve Cooper's side reached the playoffs last season but were beaten by Brentford in the semi-finals.

Hourihane will get to play alongside fellow Ireland international Ryan Manning, who joined the Welsh club from QPR at the start of the season.