Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been given the red light to raid his former club Swansea for their club captain Ashley Williams.

The powerful centre-back has been in superb form this season and has played an instrumental role in helping the club reach Wembley as his impressive displays led to Swansea keeping two clean sheets in the Capital One Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams celebrates after helping Swansea reach the Capital One Cup final. [Reuters]

The Mirror has reported that the Liverpool owners have told Rodgers that he will be handed £10million in order to try and tempt the Welsh club to part with the defender in the summer.

Swansea were worried last summer that a number of players would leave the Liberty Stadium and follow Rodgers to Liverpool but in the end it was only midfielder Joe Allen that made the move to Merseyside.

Rodgers has a good relationship with a number of the Swansea squad and is believed to be particularly close with Williams as it was the Liverpool bosses decision to give him the captain's armband.

It was believed that Rodgers may have had some difficulty in persuading the board to bid for a 28-year-old as the recent policy has been to only recruit young players who have a potential sell-on value.

They have already signed 23-year-old Daniel Sturridge and have made two offers for Inter Milan's attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho who is just 20.

However, it seems the board are prepared to make an exception for Williams, with managing director Ian Ayre suggesting earlier this month that the policy would change for the right player.

"It's not a policy which is set in stone but it's an aspiration. If we feel there's a particular position or player who can contribute to the group and is over that sort of age limit, it doesn't mean we won't consider that player," Ayre told the Liverpool Echo.

It is believed that Rodgers wants to bring another experienced centre-back to the club and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard recently revealed that he felt another defender was needed.

Quizzed on who he would like to see arrive at Anfield while on Sky show Goals on Sunday, Gerrard said: "I think a defender...we've got an injury at the moment to Enrique, we're having to play Glen Johnson left-back, who's been phenomenal for us as well this season at right-back and left-back.

"We got a young kid doing well--Andre Wisdom. So we may need a little bit more cover defensively."