HODGSON can expect a minimum £40m transfer kitty

zocoss SG

Ashley Young

Liverpool bound?: Ashley Young is a target for Roy Hodgson at Liverpool

Aston Villa winger Ashley Young is top of Roy Hodgson's wishlist as he tries to add British players to his Liverpool team.

Hodgson, who has strongly denied that he is not a big enough name to persuade Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to stay, will try to find out this week if Villa manager Martin O'Neill is willing to let Young leave.

The winger, who celebrates his 25th birthday on Friday, made a big early impact at Villa following a £10million move from Watford in 2007.

But inconsistency last season meant he missed out on going to the World Cup with England.

Liverpool have sold Yossi Benayoun to Chelsea for £6.5m and replaced him with 29-year-old Serbia World Cup player Milan Jovanovic, a free agent. Hodgson could also sell Javier Mascherano to Barcelona for £25m and bring in Brazil's Gilberto Silva at a fraction of the price.

He said: 'We would be foolish not to be aware of the importance of homegrown players with the way UEFA and Premier League rules are going. Otherwise we're going to struggle to get our squad numbers together.

'I think the club have been trying to do that already with younger players like Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling but it takes time for them to come through so we might have to go into the transfer market.'

Hodgson is anxious to sort out the futures of Torres and Gerrard but if the Liverpool and England skipper decides to join Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, Liverpool want Holland forward Rafael van der Vaart in part-exchange.

The manager turned down the chance to sign Jovanovic for a fee when he was at Fulham but sees him as a good capture on a free transfer.

He said: 'We have furnished the World Cup with more players than any other team but looking at the squad at Melwood, it did seem very small in terms of seniors.'

Rooney9 SG

can liverpool afford to buy him?

does he wants to join liverpool?

does villa want to sell him?

Poignant SG

not that he's not good, but i would prefer younger ones like mata or maybe older ones like joaquin

Y_Shun SG

not that he's not good, but i would prefer younger ones like mata or maybe older ones like joaquin

But you must know that Ashely Young knows the EPL inside out already...

I think the reason for Young's inconsistency is that Martin O Neil starts to play him on the right...whereas the first season he played on the LEFT.

On the left, Young can cut in and shoot with his right foot, but last season he played on the right, which only allowed him to provide crosses.

Poignant SG

But you must know that Ashely Young knows the EPL inside out already...

I think the reason for Young's inconsistency is that Martin O Neil starts to play him on the right...whereas the first season he played on the LEFT.

On the left, Young can cut in and shoot with his right foot, but last season he played on the right, which only allowed him to provide crosses.

have to agree that young know the epl well already, wont mind having him but i doubt the price to pay wont be a cheap one, furthermore he's an english.

Y_Shun SG

have to agree that young know the epl well already, wont mind having him but i doubt the price to pay wont be a cheap one, furthermore he's an english.

Think smelly smelly need more than 20million!

Poignant SG

Think smelly smelly need more than 20million!

if normal i think 20M enough, but now he's an english, almost equal to an upsize, so nothing less than 23-25M. Silva only 24m leh!

Y_Shun SG

If Young really do play, then Babel play where?

Poignant SG

back to striker lor, i wont mind letting him to have a go with fernando up front, i like babel

zocoss SG

All proceeds from future player transfers will assist Hodgson, but he won't get any of the £5.5m received from Yossi Benayoun's switch to Chelsea.

That money has been put aside to help pay off ex-boss Rafa Benitez and meet the £2m compensation bill to Fulham to recruit Hodgson.

Hodgson will review his squad over the next month, but knows there is pressure to move quickly.

The quality of his first signings will determine whether skipper Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres believe the club can compete for honours next season.

The duo won't return to pre-season training for another three weeks, by which time they'll hope serious plans are in place to ensure next season isn't merely transitional.

Although Hodgson is determined to keep Gerrard and Torres, he'll take a more relaxed view on Argentine skipper Mascherano, knowing the proceeds of his sale are crucial to any significant transfer activity.

Mascherano is increasingly likely to move to Barcelona rather than Inter Milan, having been earmarked as a replacement for Yaya Toure.

Riera, who didn't return to pre-season training in midweek as he tries to find a new club, is attracting attention from Juventus.

One man who will be handed a fresh chance at Anfield, however, is midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

Aquilani endured a miserable, injury hit debut season on Merseyside. But Hodgson wants the £20m Italian to reap the rewards of a full pre-season and fulfil his potential under new management.

The transfer priorities for Liverpool this summer are a new left back, a wide man, a replacement for Mascherano and a supporting striker for Torres.

Hodgson is also expected to shuffle his backroom team. Both Sammy Lee and Kenny Dalglish are deciding whether to accept roles at the club.

Liverpool are eager for Dalglish to stay after he publicly endorsed Hodgson's appointment.