Manchester United were linked to Aston Villa and England striker Ollie Watkins on Monday by The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, who noted Watkins was initially part of a proposal for a permanent transfer offer for Marcus Rashford.
While Rashford to Villa is now looking unlikely with Rashford’s preference for a move abroad, Whitwell maintained that Watkins is considered an option if the club is able to move Rasmus Hojlund. He also noted that the current priority is finalizing a move for Bryan Mbeumo, a deal that is reportedly close to completion after another bid from the Reds last week.
The Danish forward has had a rough time at United since joining in 2023, scoring just four Premier League goals in 32 appearances last season. His playing time was not impacted by the change in manager, but Ruben Amorim’s frustrations with the attack were clear. Hojlund continued to start with the manager lacking an alternative option at the position.
Watkins has had a successful time at Villa since joining the side in 2020, scoring 75 goals in 184 Premier League appearances and reaching double figures in five successive seasons. He finished the last campaign with 16 goals and 8 assists in the league, and has 5 goals and 18 caps for England.
However, Watkins turns 30 this year. He is under contract with Villa for two more seasons and will likely command a decent raise from his roughly 130k/year salary (per Spotrac). He doesn’t fit the ideal profile for transfer targets (young/entering their prime), but he is a proven talent in the Premier League and could be a nice addition for depth/options at the position. There hasn’t been much talk of a fee, and there are no concrete links yet, but a move for Watkins should be a secondary/surplus striker option rather than a priority, especially with United tight on spending room until they can move players.