Ashley Young joins Villa for £9.65 million
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Young agrees to join Villa for £9.65 million
Ashley Young is poised to complete his £9.65million move from Watford after Martin O'Neill confirmed the player had 'verbally agreed' to join the midlands club.
Young is set to undergo a medical at Bodymoore Heath on Sunday before formerly putting pen to paper on the deal which will confirm him as Villa's record signing.
O'Neill had an initial bid of nearly £7million rejected by the Hornets but looks to have finally made his first major capture of the January transfer window.
O'Neill said: 'I'm hopeful about Ashley although nothing is certain yet but he has verbally agreed to join us and he wants to come here.
'He is a very talented player and I am confident he will prove worth the money we are spending on him. I will be delighted if and when things are tied up.
'We need someone with the ability to put the ball in the net. We need a goal-scorer to convert some of the chances we are creating.'
Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd, whose side lost 2-0 at Villa Park today, said: 'The deal with the club Ashley is going to isn't quite done but we are more or less there.
'I believe it is going to be concluded tomorrow. I believe he is having a medical tomorrow.
'He has done remarkably well handling all the attention he has been receiving and I believe he will kick on again at the club he is going to. He is a real asset.
'I don't want to name the club by name who look like they are going to sign him but I think you know who it is.'
Young was left out of the Watford side to play at Villa Park on Saturday - another strong indication that Villa are the side he will be signing for.
O'Neill was delighted to see Villa clinch their first victory in 12 Premiership games thanks to two goals in the last three minutes against bottom-place Watford.
Striker Milan Baros spurned a host of chances before Villa wrapped up the points thanks to an own goal and Gabriel Agbonlahor's sixth strike of the campaign.
O'Neill said: 'It was a great relief to win and there is a lot of euphoria in the dressing room. We deserved it and we always felt capable of getting a goal even thought we left it late.
'As the pressure built up I didn't want us to lose our discipline and concede ourselves and we managed to stay patient.'
Baros was booed by a section of the Villa fans as he left the pitch when substituted near the end and O'Neill said: 'I would not approve of anyone getting that treatment at home. I felt sympathy for Milan but that sort of thing can happen.'
Boothroyd said: 'I thought we were going to hold on. It wasn't a good game and perhaps that was a reflection of the run of results both sides have been having.
'It was always going to take a scrappy goal to basically clinch it, namely an own goal, and then when you are chasing an equaliser there is always the chance of being caught on the counter-attack and that's what happened.
'I didn't believe in luck until this season, but when we do what Villa did, the ball goes straight into the keepers hands, but that's life.' -
would like to see him at right midfield
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Really must see him on the right midfield.. -
great sell...if wait until end of season when they get relegated, then the value will depreciate