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.
The Reds face stern competition from Manchester United and Tottenham for the England international, who will cost around £14 million as his contract at Villa Park runs out in 18 months' time.
Manager Roy Hodgson has been driving the interest from Anfield as he looks to add British talent to the squad but Damien Comolli, the club's director of football strategy, also supports the move for a player who will add much-needed pace to the side.
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 director’s 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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