Chelsea are monitoring Ashley Young's situation at Aston Villa.

The Guardian says Villa will need to make a couple of stellar signings to match Ashley Young's ambition and avoid losing their most ­valuable asset this summer. The England international is concerned at the club's direction in the wake of Martin Laursen's retirement and Gareth Barry's decision to join Manchester City, and unless ­Martin O'Neill can recruit two high-profile replacements Villa face a battle to keep hold of the player the manager described as a "genius" last year.

Young is Tottenham Hotspur's No1 target and, while Villa will strongly resist any offers from White Hart Lane, which are likely to involve player exchanges plus cash, it will be more difficult to reject an approach from Chelsea if interest at Stamford Bridge hardens. The 23-year-old is known to have been discussed by the Chelsea hierarchy and was expected to be one of the names considered when senior figures met to talk about the club's transfer plans last week.