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A butchered crime boss has told associates he is planning to have a £500,000 face transplant after being mutilated in a knife attack.

Steven “Bonzo” Daniel has spoken to specialists about travelling to the United States for the complicated procedure.

But he is concerned immigration laws may make it difficult for him to enter America.

Daniel was mutilated in a knife and machete attack earlier this year after being ambushed as he drove a private hire car.

His nose, mouth, tongue and one of his eyes were badly damaged in the assault which was so violent that police initially thought he had been shot in the face, the Daily Record reports.

A source said: “Bonzo has been saying he wants to go to America to get a face transplant.

“He’s already been down to London to see a specialist about his injuries but thinks the best option is to go abroad.

“It would cost a fortune but he seems prepared to spend the money if there’s a guaranteed improvement.

“His face has been left so disfigured he is willing to pay anything.

“But he may have a problem getting into America because of his links to organised crime. If that’s the case, he’ll have to look elsewhere.”

The world’s first partial face transplant was carried out in France in 2005 on Isabelle Dinoire, who had been mauled by her dog.

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The first complete transplant was performed on a Spanish man, Oscar, in 2010 after he accidentally shot himself in the face. The procedures are carried out using facial tissue from a dead donor.

The first transplant in America was performed on burn victim Dallas Wiens in 2011 and cost an estimated £270,000.

A similar procedure is thought to now cost about £550,000.

Daniel is the nephew of dead crime kingpin Jamie Daniel. His mother is Annette Daniel – Scotland’s most notorious shoplifter.

He has been at war with the rival Lyons crime gang, who are headed by Spain-based boss Steven Lyons.

The feud between the families stretches back more than two decades and has resulted in a wave of gun and knife attacks.

Daniel booked a five-star trip to Dubai with his family, including mum Annette, last month.

He wanted to get out of the country – and away from the constant scrutiny of police, who provided weeks of round-the-clock protection outside his home after he was released from hospital.

Officers have set up a taskforce to crack down on the battle between the rival gangs.

The violence kicked off in January when Lyons lieutenant Ross Monaghan was shot in the shoulder outside a primary school in Glasgow’s Penilee.

Since then, the Daniel family have been on the receiving end of a series of gun and knife attacks.

In February, Francis “Fraggle” Green – son of Jamie Daniel – had his home sprayed with bullets.

Weeks later, his cousin Robert Daniel was shot outside his house in Stepps, near Glasgow.

Another relative – also called Jamie Daniel – was repeatedly stabbed outside his home.

And the brother of a man charged with shooting Monaghan was also the victim of a knife attack days after police made an arrest.

The Daniel family are believed to have offered as much as £200,000 for someone to take revenge on the men they blame for attacking Bonzo.

A source said: “They have made it clear money is no object.”