Boothroyd: Six clubs want Young

Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd tonight revealed that six Barclays Premiership clubs are trying to sign star forward Ashley Young.

The highest bid for Young, 21, is believed to stand at £7m (€10.4m), with Aston Villa, Everton, Tottenham and Sheffield United all known to be in the market for the player, while Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked with him.

However, Boothroyd insisted that tomorrow’s FA Cup tie at home to Stockport would not be England Under-21 international Young’s last for the club.

“Six clubs are now after Ashley, but Saturday’s will not be his final game,” Boothroyd told PA Sport.

“All the clubs are in the Premiership. Everybody is interested in Ashley at the moment, and that is okay.

“He is a Watford player, and he is integral to what we want to do here.

“He is coping fine with the speculation. Until Ashley comes to me and tells me he wants to leave, he will remain a Watford player.”

The possible departure of Young increases the pressure on Boothroyd to strengthen his forward line further following the captures this week of Moses Ashikodi and Will Hoskins.

Watford have also seen a £3.25million bid for Collins John accepted by Fulham, but the 21-year-old Dutchman is believed to be unsure about joining a team who look certain to make an immediate return to the Coca-Cola Championship – and Boothroyd has yet to speak to him.

The 35-year-old Boothroyd continued: “Collins is a player I like a lot, and I have admired him for a while.

“He is young, he is explosive, and I believe he has the talent to go all the way.

“But he needs the right place to develop that talent.

“Watford is the right place to do that, and I believe I am the right person to help him do that.

“We have a three-year vision to be a top 10 club, but the immediate mission is to stay in the Premiership, because we are bottom of the table at the moment.

“I am still convinced that we can put a little run together.”

Boothroyd has enjoyed some success in the transfer market today, however, signing Hoskins and midfielder Lee Williamson in a double deal from Rotherham which could rise to £1million.

Boothroyd expects Williamson, 24, to push straight away for a starting place, but he accepts that Hoskins, who is four years younger and has scored 16 goals this season, could need a little longer to develop.

Boothroyd said: “Williamson is a combative midfielder with a knack for scoring goals, and I have been monitoring him for a while.

“He is going to be a great addition, and he will come in and challenge for a first-team place with Gavin Mahon, Al Bangura and Damien Francis.

“With Hoskins, a lot of people have been tracking him. He can score and make goals.

“I do not expect him to come in and make an immediate impact, because he is only 20.

“He will take time to settle – but when he does, he will start pulling up trees. I am sure there is a lot to come from him.”