Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has linked to the summer move, with Arsenal and Manchester United both linked, but he could still see him staying where he was.
Manchester United are eager to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins this summer, but the club is reluctant to overpay the player, who turned 30 in December. Arsenal had the same concerns before he left the race to sign England International.
The Gunners explored Watkins’ move in January, but over the summer they decided that Victor Gyoker was the answer to their needs. United also looked into whether they could move forward, but from the agreement it’s somehow.
According to a report from Athletic Back in May, Gunners’ new sports director Andrea Berta was unconvinced about the prospect of paying a player of Watkins age £40 million north. Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike were mentioned as potential alternatives at the time, but both have joined a variety of Premier League clubs.
United are ready to pay more, and Miller Football has made it clear they want to agree to a £40-£45m deal, but that’s still less than the £60m villa wants. Reuben Amorim hopes that the proven striker will lead the line at Old Trafford, but the asking price is considered too steep.
Alternatively, Amorim’s side spoke to Villa about the possibility of including Alejandro Garnacho in his Player Plus Cash agreement. Villa rented Marcus Rashford out of United late last season. Garnacho was still able to fill the gap left by Rashford’s decision to spend his season with Barcelona.
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In five Premier League seasons, Watkins scored Villa’s 75 league goals. His best return came in 2023-24 when he scored 19 in the league and 27 in all competitions.
Villa narrowly missed qualifications for the Champions League, so he finished with 16 in the league last season. There were no more than eight United players.
United are in the United States for pre-season responsibility and won West Ham in the Premier League Summer Series. After that victory, boss Amorim said he has yet to decide his favorite XI for the league opening match against Arsenal in mid-August.
“It’s a strong team and you have to prepare all the players. There’s not a lot of weeks or a lot of games to prepare all the teams,” Amorim says. “That could change, you saw it late, there are players who can play in the first game. That’s not a decision I’ve already made.”
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