Since joining the club in 2020, the 29-year-old has firmly established himself as a fundamental figure in the side with 87 goals and 42 assists in 223 appearances.
_**READ MORE: [Villa paired with interest in defensive reinforcement but face hefty price-tag](https://talk-villa.com/aston-villa-transfer-news-jaydee-canvot-interest-e20m-price-tag/)**_
Aside from the fact that he is now the club’s all-time Premier League top goalscorer, his creativity, work ethic and ability to offer a focal point up top in the way he leads the line have all made him pivotal to our progress, particularly under Unai Emery since he took charge as he has flourished under the Basque coach who has made him a pillar of his side.
Albeit he could be more clinical, Watkins finished last season with 17 goals and 14 assists in 54 games, and so as well as his goal contributions, his reliability and durability have been crucial factors in what has made him so important for us over such a lengthy period of time.
In turn, especially with a lack of alternative options in the squad currently, the last thing that we want is to lose him this summer, but according to [The Mirror](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manchester-united-ollie-watkins-villa-35488961), Man Utd have set their sights on signing him and it’s suggested that the England international is open to a new challenge away from Villa Park, which is questionable in itself.
Talks are said to have been held between the clubs, but Villa reportedly want £60m to green light an exit, and that is said to have put the Red Devils off.
Ultimately, if Emery wishes to keep Watkins at Villa ahead of next season, we’ll hopefully firmly stick to that valuation and that should be enough to fend off interest as it’s a hefty price-tag for a 29-year-old who some would argue isn’t in that bracket of transfer fee.
However, if Villa are open to the idea of selling and trying to upgrade in that position this summer, then our reported demands will have to be lowered, and that will potentially open the door for negotiations over an exit.
Ideally, we’ll go with the former option and build around Watkins in this transfer window to ensure that we have sufficient competition and depth in the final third, and so if that £60m valuation is accurate, whether it’s Man Utd or another interested party that comes forward in the coming weeks, it should be enough to deter them from making an offer and thus closing the door on a departure.
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