Manchester United face a potentially tricky start to the 2025/26 Premier League season, with matches against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in the first five rounds of fixtures.
Ruben Amorim’s side finished 15th in the top flight table last term meaning they won’t compete in Europe this season, and the Portuguese will be desperate to see his side improve when the new campaign starts.
The Red Devils host the Gunners on the opening weekend of the season, before travelling to rivals Man City and hosting Chelsea in September.
United have already added forward Matheus Cunha to Amorim’s squad this summer, but it appears that they are still on the hunt for new additions.
As reported by CaughtOffside, the Manchester outfit have made an approach to sign Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
Watkins is a target for Manchester United (Photo: Every Second Media/Alamy)
The 29-year-old joined Villa from Brentford in 2020 and has since scored 87 goals in 223 games for the club across all competitions.
It is claimed that United are keen to bolster Amorim’s attacking options this summer and the Portuguese has identified Watkins as an ideal candidate to do exactly that.
The Englishman is under contract at Villa Park until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, but the Red Devils could attempt to lure him to Old Trafford in the coming weeks.
United’s interest in the England international comes amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future of Rasmus Hojlund.
The Dane cost United a staggering £72 million when he joined from Italian side Atalanta in 2023 but has since struggled in front of goal.
Villa are said to have put a price tag of more than £60 million on Watkins and, while United would be willing to meet those demands, the club could face stiff competition in the race to land the striker.
Arsenal have previously shown significant interest in the ex-Exeter City man, and the report claims that Chelsea are also keeping tabs on the player’s situation.