Real Madrid refuse to give up on Villa wing ace Young

Real Madrid refuse to give up on prising Ashley Young away from Aston Villa.

The Daily Mail says while the Spanish champions' players have been given time off to celebrate Christmas, the club's hierarchy are working on a deal to prise the young England forward from the Barclays Premier League.

Real are well aware that they face an uphill task to sign the 23-year-old, but coach Juande Ramos has made him his No 1 transfer target to join Lassana Diarra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar as new faces in the Spanish capital.

Any deal will cost in excess of £25million and Real could also struggle to convince Young to quit Villa Park.

But the embarrassment of being snubbed by Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has made Real even more determined to land their man.

Madrid president Ramon Calderon, sporting director Predrag Mijatovic and coach Ramos will discuss their strategy throughout the Yuletide period.

One option is to offer Rafael van der Vaart in part of a player-plus-cash deal. The Holland forward has struggled with injuries and form since signing from Hamburg in the summer.

The club have already completed the £20m signing of holding midfielder Diarra from Portsmouth and £19m capture of Holland striker Huntelaar from Ajax.