Arsenal have been handed fresh hope should they wish to renew their interest in Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins this summer.
Watkins has been one of the Premier League's top marksmen this season after bagging 16 goals in 36 appearances. This form has been even more impressive thanks to the fact he has been sharing the lone striker duties with Jhon Duran and Marcus Rashford.
In the January transfer window, it became clear that Villa need to make sales to keep in line with the Premier League's strict Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Testing the water, Arsenal submitted a bid for Watkins but Villa instead chose to sell Duran to Al Nassr for £64m which negated the need to sell the former Brentford and Exeter City man.
However, Watkins' relationship with Unai Emery has been somewhat strained in the second half of the season as Villa began to favour Rashford in the No.9 role. After playing 20 minutes against PSG in both matches of the Champions League quarter-final, Watkins admitted he was 'fuming' and let Emery know about it.
It now appears that Villa may be looking to add a couple of strikers to their squad ahead of the new season. According to Caught Offside, Atletico Madrid's Alexander Sorloth and PSG's Goncalo Ramos are both under consideration ahead of the summer transfer window.
Atletico Madrid centre-forward Alexander Sorloth
Atletico Madrid centre-forward Alexander Sorloth (Image: Getty Images)
If Villa were to make moves for either or both of those strikers, Watkins could become available as an option for Arsenal again. The prospect of joining the Gunners is one that the 29-year-old would likely entertain having supported the club from a young age.
However, due to his age, Arsenal would need to be clear on their budget for the striker knowing that his re-sale value will range from low to non-existant. It was reported this winter that a bid of between £50-60m could be accepted in the summer for Watkins albeit the Gunners may wish for it to be closer to £30-40m.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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