West Ham Bid £8m For Young

West Ham raise their bid to £8m for Young

Watford's board was meeting last night to decide whether or not to accept West Ham United's £8m offer for Ashley Young. The bid meets the valuation put on the England Under-21 international by Watford - but the club is reluctant to sell to a relegation rival.

Aston Villa have already bid £7m for Young while Tottenham Hotspur are still in the hunt. Watford would like £6m plus either Calum Davenport or Wayne Routledge for the striker who can also play on either wing.

Spurs do not want Davenport to go until a replacement central defender is signed and that may not happen until the end of the January window. They also believe that Young is being overpriced.

West Ham, whose interest in Young was first revealed by The Independent, turned to the 21-year-old striker after their hopes of signing Shaun Wright-Phillips and Fredrik Ljungberg floundered. The Independent

Watford weigh up Hammers' new £8m bid for Young

Watford's directors were meeting last night to discuss whether to accept an £8m offer from West Ham United for Ashley Young. Alan Curbishley is so keen to sign the England Under-21 forward that West Ham's Icelandic owners have made an offer that would break the club's previous record purchase of Dean Ashton for £7.25m. However, Aston Villa remain in the hunt and Tottenham have also not given up hope of capturing the 21-year-old's signature.

Villa have made a substantial offer, believed to be about £7m, and Watford would no doubt be delighted if the price continues to escalate in a bidding war. They would prefer not to sell to West Ham as relegation rivals, but have not ruled it out if the financial terms are right.

Liverpool have dropped out of the running for Young because of his valuation, but Watford's manager, Aidy Boothroyd, said this week: "There are players out there who have gone for £8m-plus who do not have what he has."

Tottenham, though, are understood to believe the player's choice would be to come to White Hart Lane, where they have bought and nurtured several talented young Englishmen over recent years. Spurs also have two players wanted by Watford in Callum Davenport and Wayne Routledge, though they will not sanction the departure of Davenport unless they first sign another centre-half. The Guardian