AIDY BOOTHROYD says he will fight "tooth and nail" to keep Marlon King at the club this summer.

Speculation has linked the Watford striker with a move to Aston Villa, where Martin O'Neill is believed to be keen to increase his firepower by teaming up the striker with Ashley Young, the England Under-21 star who struck up such a productive partnership with his good friend at Vicarage Road before leaving for a fee of £9.65m.

King is currently recovering from knee surgery but there are likely to be no shortage of takers for the Jamaican international - Blackburn and Bolton are also rumoured to be interested - should he make a full recovery from injury and recapture the form that yielded 22 goals last season.

But Boothroyd sees King as spearheading his side's promotion challenge next season and will pull out all the stops to keep his talisman at Vicarage Road.

King would also be reluctant to leave the club who have helped him resurrect his career.

The 26-year-old has developed a strong bond with Boothroyd, whose man management skills have been so fundamental in getting the best out of a player who lost his way at Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

"I don't want him to go anywhere," said Boothroyd. "You don't get rid of your best players unless you are offered ridiculous amounts of money for them. Ashley was a different kettle of fish.

"We are and always will be a selling club because we can't compete with Manchester United or Chelsea, but we will do all we can to keep our best players. Marlon is one of our best players and I will fight tooth and nail to keep him."