Source: Daily_Mail
Ashley Young in showdown talks with Villa chairman Randy Lerner
Ashley Young will add more pressure on Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner by seeking clarification about the club's plans as Tottenham wait to prise the player away.[LNB]The England winger and his representatives will meet the club's hierarchy at Villa Park on Thursday as the fallout following Martin O'Neill's exit continues in the most testing week of the American owner's reign.[LNB]Today's meeting was planned long ago but Young, 25, will now take the opportunity to find out exactly where Lerner intends to take the club amid strong rumours that Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is ready to formalise his interest in the player.[LNB] Villan of the piece: Young is to seek talks with Villa chairman [LNB]Villa will want more than £18million for the former Watford winger who has two years remaining on his contract. [LNB]Due to the cash problems at the Midlands club, Redknapp is hoping that a swap deal involving £8m plus Robbie Keane may be sufficient to force the issue.[LNB]Lerner has suffered a destabilising few days following O'Neill's departure but the completion of James Milner's defection to Manchester City is expected to be confirmed today.[LNB]Stephen Ireland is due to move in the other direction as part of the deal but those talks were not as advanced. [LNB]However, there is a willingness among all parties to push a dealthrough although it may not be completed in time for Saturday's openerat home to West Ham. News of firm interest in Young from Tottenham isthe last thing the club need.[LNB] Clock's ticking: O'Neill has already departed - Milner is expected to announce his exit soon, too[LNB]However, American billionaire Lerner certainly has sufficient financial clout to withstand any enquiry. He also is bloodyminded enough to block the player's exit before the transfer window closes.[LNB]The only way the move could go ahead would be for Young to force his way out. But it was only three weeks ago, following a friendly at Peterborough, that he confirmed he was willing to extend his stay, no doubt adding a hefty pay rise to his £2.75m salary. [LNB]It is just one more headache for Lerner to overcome, although the news for caretaker Kevin MacDonald, in particular, was promising.[LNB]As expected, the club have received dozens of applications in the wake of O'Neill's exit but Lerner has not taken time to sift through them all. [LNB]With five matches, including a play-off to join the Europa League inthe next fortnight, MacDonald is expected to be given an opportunity tomake his mark.[LNB] Testing times: Randy Lerner (C) has vowed to support caretaker manager Kevin Macdonald over the coming weeks [LNB]He was highly regarded while in charge of Villa's reserve team, winning the secondstring title three years in succession and bridging the gap between the club's academy and the first team.[LNB]With no obvious candidate to replace O'Neill, former Liverpool Double winnerMacDonald has a real chance to join the ranks of Premier League managers on a full-time basis.[LNB]Lerner hinted that the Scot would be afforded an extended stay when he said: 'Having had some time to reflect on Martin leaving, I can say our most immediate focus is supporting Kevin and resolving the situation with Manchester City and JamesMilner.[LNB]'As for explaining why Martin left, I can say only that we no longer shared a common view as to how to move forward. To deal in greater detail would do little but cause additional distraction for us as we face the clear priority of hiring a permanent manager. [LNB]'Finally, there have been no changes in our approach to building the club, aiming to beas competitive as possible given our size and resources.'[LNB] Lerner breaks silence on O'Neill rift as Moyes rules himself out of Villa runningSign up to our FREE Fantasy Football game - with £40,000 in prize money up for grabsWhy O'Neill jumped: At 58, he couldn't afford to watch all his best being soldBuy buy, Martin: How O'Neill spent £120million in four years at Aston VillaCraig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland move a step closer to City exit as duo are over-looked for Europa League qualifier ASTON VILLA FC
