As Villa prepare for next season's Intertoto Cup, Martin O'Neill insists the long-term target remains Champions League football.

And the Villa boss is set for talks with Randy Lerner as the pair prepare to bolster the squad ahead of the 2008-09 campaign.

Success in next term's Intertoto would see Villa into the UEFA Cup but O'Neill has his sights set even higher as he continues to build at Villa Park.

He said: "The idea of the football club is that obviously we would have the same drive and ambition as Newcastle United, all those sides - Champions League is where you want to go. I think people would want to harbour that ambition.

"I'm not saying the Villa fans harboured that thought a couple of seasons ago, but deep down any Villa fan worth his salt would like to think that that is where the club would like to go."

Villa used just 21 players this season - fewer than any of their Barclays Premier League rivals. And O'Neill knows he must beef up the squad if Villa are to chase honours at home and abroad.

He added: "This is the best time to talk to the chairman. Even though I have said I wouldn't mind a day or two for a bit of respite, when you look at the squad we had at West Ham, we had Curtis Davies out and we will lose one or two with Olof Mellberg going. So we've got a lot to address over the summer. But we want to push on."

"If you look at our squad nine players have played in excess of 32 Premier League games. We can't expect the same nine players to all play so many games again.

"We have played virtually the same side. I think it's particularly excellent, a phenomenal achievement, so I want to think about that for a day or two and then we will see."