Stewart Downing
Liverpool's Kuyt challenges Aston Villa's Downing at Anfield last season.

Click here for a full round-up of today's transfer news

Reports today suggest Kenny Dalglish is set to take his summer spending beyond £100m as he closes in on Aston Villa midfielder Stewart Downing.

The Midlands club have already rejected bids of £12.5m and £15m for the England international as they hold out for closer to their £20m valuation of the player.

Villa manager Alex McLeish is adamant the 26-year-old isn't for sale but privately accepts the winger's departure is inevitable given his desire to move to Merseyside, regardless of late interest from Arsenal.

Downing's arrival would push the club's spending since Dalglish returned in January past £100m -- after the transfers of Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam.

Swedish raid

Meanwhile, Liverpool are also interested in signing the Sierra Leone duo Teteh Bangura and Mohamed Bangura (no relation) who currently play in the Swedish top flight with AIK Solna.

Sky Sports reports that Anfield scouts attended the game against Halmstad BK where Teteh Bangura hit four goals in the 4-0 victory. Mohamed Bangura, 21, provided two assists for his countryman before being injured.

Their agent Patrick Mork expects one of the pair to leave the Swedish club before the end of the transfer window.

"I expect that at least one of them will leave," said Mork. "I don't know if that's just me being optimistic or realistic.

"But all players want to move on, and it's my job to help them."

End of the Mata

Finally, Valencia president Manual Llorente has confirmed that Liverpool target Juan Mata is "not for sale", according to reports today.

The £18m-rated attacking midfielder was an influential part the U-21 Spanish side that triumphed in the recent European Championships.

"We have no intention of selling and we have not received any formal offers for the player," Llorente told Superdeporte.

"The news that has appeared in the papers is nothing more than speculation -- Juan Mata is not for sale."

"Our plan this summer is to make our squad better and our priority at the moment is to bring in a central defender," he said.