Tottenham to launch bid for Aston Villa star Young
Published 23:00 23/07/10 By James Nursey
Martin O'Neill's woes at Aston Villa are mounting as Spurs want to lure away Ashley Young.
Villa boss O’Neill has already conceded defeat in his battle to keep James Milner, 24, at the club.
O’Neill has told Milner he can go to Man City if the Eastlands’ club match the midfielder’s £30million price tag. And now Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is preparing to move for wing wizard Young.
Redknapp tried last summer to get Young, 25, as Mirror Sport revealed but O’Neill begged the star to stay and increased his pay to £65,000 a week.
But now Redknapp has even more cash after Spurs qualified for the Champions League.
A return to the capital to play against Europe’s elite would appeal to Young, who was omitted from England’s World Cup squad.
Redknapp is determined to get the former Watford trainee this time after ambitiously declaring his title aspirations.
It means another headache for O’Neill who wants to hang on to Young with Milner poised to quit.
O’Neill has already been in dialogue with Redknapp this summer about striker Robbie Keane.
Villa have earmarked Republic of Ireland striker Keane to boost their squad once Milner goes as they have to sell-to-buy.
Villa are prepared to use out-of-favour defender Curtis Davies, who Redknapp rates, as a make-weight in the deal for Keane.
Davies, 25, has also attracted interest from Celtic but they are unable to meet the stopper’s £5m price tag.
Milner’s move depends on Villa and City thrashing out their differences as their valuations of the midfielder are miles apart.
City are proposing a £24m take-it-or-leave-it offer for the versatile England international, who has 11 caps.
It would still see Villa double their money after buying Milner in August 2008 for £12m from Newcastle on a four-year contract worth £45,000-a-week.
But Villa want more and Milner intends to hold talks with O’Neill on Monday when he reports back to the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground.
Milner is unhappy with O’Neill for claiming publicly earlier this week that he wants to quit for City and fears Villa fans may turn on him.
