Hodgson to use £30m kitty for Young

Liverpool are set to challenge Spurs for Ashley Young's signature if he decides to leave Aston Villa.

The winger is stalling on a new contract and Roy Hodgson will be buoyed by the situation as he attempts to add five to his squad in January.

The Reds boss will be given about £30million to spend and wants two of his signings to be British.

He feels it is vital to add the homegrown ingredient to his crop of under-achievers, and will not be put off by Young's £14m price tag.

Villa insist they remain hopeful that Young, 25, will commit himself to the club and he has been impressed by the methods of Gerard Houllier since he took over.

But Spurs manager Harry Redknapp showed interest in the England winger in August and will reignite his interest if there are indications Young fancies a future away from the Midlands.

Hodgson also still has West Ham's Carlton Cole earmarked as a potential signing despite missing out on him during the summer.

The forward is struggling to fit into Avram Grant's plans and Hodgson believes he would add an extra dimension to his side, much like Bobby Zamora's role for him at Fulham.

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