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Liverpool make Ashley Young their top January target and prepare £14m bid
Reds will meet England international's wage demands as contract runs down
30 Dec 2010 08:00:00
EXCLUSIVE
By Greg Stobart | Northern Correspondent
Liverpool have made Ashley Young their top target for the January transfer window and are confident they can land the Aston Villa winger, Goal.com UK can reveal.
MORE...
Liverpool are ready to meet Young's wage demands of £75,000-a-week – or £3.9m a year – and will make an official approach to Villa when the transfer window opens. Insiders at Anfield claim the club are confident the former Watford man is keen on a move and they believe Villa may feel compelled to sell because of his contract situation.
Young, 25, currently earns £65,000-a-week but has refused to sign a new deal at the Midlands club and there have been suggestions that he would be prepared to run down his contract and leave for nothing in the summer of 2012.
Gerard Houllier, the Aston Villa manager, insists it would take “crazy money” for the Premier League strugglers to sell their prize asset – but owner Randy Lerner may feel differently as Young's value plummets as he runs down his contract.
Liverpool will press ahead with plans to sign Young despite being on the verge of signing Rennes winger Sylvain Marveaux, who was in the directors box for the 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Wednesday night.
That defeat exposed the lack of wide options at Hodgson's disposal as Dirk Kuyt and Raul Meireles were forced to play out of position in an embarrassing defeat that leaves the former Fulham boss fighting for his job.
But Villa are also having a woeful season and Young – who was the subject of a bid worth £20m from Spurs last summer – has all but decided that his future lies elsewhere. He was on the verge of signing a new five-year contract in October but turned his back on the deal at the last minute and is refusing to return to the negotiating table until next summer.
The former Watford man has made a huge impact at Villa since his £9.6m move from Watford in January 2007 but has been inconsistent this season in an unfamiliar role behind the main striker.
He has been sidelined with a knee injury during the Christmas period but is expected to be fit for the trip to Chelsea on Sunday.
By Greg Stobart | Northern Correspondent
Liverpool have made Ashley Young their top target for the January transfer window and are confident they can land the Aston Villa winger, Goal.com UK can reveal.
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Liverpool are ready to meet Young's wage demands of £75,000-a-week – or £3.9m a year – and will make an official approach to Villa when the transfer window opens. Insiders at Anfield claim the club are confident the former Watford man is keen on a move and they believe Villa may feel compelled to sell because of his contract situation.
Young, 25, currently earns £65,000-a-week but has refused to sign a new deal at the Midlands club and there have been suggestions that he would be prepared to run down his contract and leave for nothing in the summer of 2012.
Which way to Anfield? | Young is ready to quit Aston Villa and is Liverpool's No.1 target
Gerard Houllier, the Aston Villa manager, insists it would take “crazy money” for the Premier League strugglers to sell their prize asset – but owner Randy Lerner may feel differently as Young's value plummets as he runs down his contract.
Liverpool will press ahead with plans to sign Young despite being on the verge of signing Rennes winger Sylvain Marveaux, who was in the directors box for the 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Wednesday night.
That defeat exposed the lack of wide options at Hodgson's disposal as Dirk Kuyt and Raul Meireles were forced to play out of position in an embarrassing defeat that leaves the former Fulham boss fighting for his job.
But Villa are also having a woeful season and Young – who was the subject of a bid worth £20m from Spurs last summer – has all but decided that his future lies elsewhere. He was on the verge of signing a new five-year contract in October but turned his back on the deal at the last minute and is refusing to return to the negotiating table until next summer.
The former Watford man has made a huge impact at Villa since his £9.6m move from Watford in January 2007 but has been inconsistent this season in an unfamiliar role behind the main striker.
He has been sidelined with a knee injury during the Christmas period but is expected to be fit for the trip to Chelsea on Sunday.
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provides the best breaking news online and our football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
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