Dalglish eyes Downing as his first Liverpool signing

It has emerged that Kenny Dalglish is targeting Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing as his first signing during his second spell as a manager of the Reds. New Liverpool manager Dalglish has been told by chairman Tom Werner that he has money to spend, but time is running out in the January transfer window to make changes to the Anfield club’s beleaguered squad. King Kenny is thought to be keen to do a deal for Downing as quickly as possible before he turns his attention to other targets, but any transfer is dependent on the exit of Ryan Babel.

Dalglish met with the Anfield owners for the first time this week to discuss possible Liverpool targets in January and it is thought that Downing was at the top of the list. The Liverpool manager is keen to add some width to his side, something that the Reds are severely lacking at the moment, and is a long-time admirer of the Aston Villa and England winger.

Liverpool will step up their pursuit for Downing once Babel’s exit from the club has been confirmed. The Premier League club have already accepted an offer from German club Hoffenheim for the 24-year-old, but the Dutch forward is yet to agree terms with the Bundesliga outfit, but will want to end his disappointing spell at Anfield sooner rather than later.

Downing himself is keen to move to Liverpool in an attempt to further his international career. The former Middlesbrough winger is desperate to be involved with England in Euro 2012 and sees a move to Anfield as a step forward in his career. However, it remains to be seen whether Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier is prepared to let Downing leave as he tries to reverse the fortunes of the West Midlands club.

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