Liverpool prepare Downing bid

Liverpool are set to make an improved £18.5million bid for Stewart Downing.

The Reds are ready to return to Aston Villa with a fresh offer for the England winger after having a £15m bid rejected.

Villa are demanding at least £20m for Downing, who is keen to move to Anfield, and Liverpool hope their increased offer will be enough to clinch the deal.

Liverpool are anxious to move quickly to prevent Arsenal from hijacking their summer-long pursuit of Downing.

They are desperate to land the Villa star to improve their options out wide after missing out to Manchester United and Newcastle on Ashley Young and Sylvain Marveaux.

"We're happy with the business we've done so far," said Reds manager Kenny Dalglish.

"Hopefully we will do some more business before the window closes, but I'm not going to give names because that's disrespectful.

"We are looking to bring other players in and that could mean we expect some to leave.

"That's football, but we have a while to go yet and we'll see what we can do."

Source: Daily Mirror

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